


The Ribbon and the Ring

by seraphim_grace



Series: Dathyl [2]
Category: Gundam Wing/AC
Genre: Fantasy, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-09
Updated: 2010-08-09
Packaged: 2017-10-11 00:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 64,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/106332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphim_grace/pseuds/seraphim_grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Lord of Death</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Over the days since the explosion, as they had come to know it, Quatre had noticed something strange between Heero and Duo. At first he supposed it was just a closeness born of their near death experience but now he was beginning to wonder. No matter where they laid out a bed for Heero he slept only with Duo, who did not complain. Duo was often found silent for long stretches, sat on his own, deep in thought, or talking to himself, even maintaining what must have been a rather amusing conversation with himself at one point. Heero had rejected a solo mission in order to watch over Duo. Duo had a tendency to pause after someone had spoken, something he had never done before, almost as if he was listening to someone else. Most astonishing of all, in everyone's opinion, was that despite Heero continued to call Duo a baka they never argued with each other. In fact, late at night, it was possible to hear them have private conversations, Heero talking as much as Duo, which in itself was unusual, although they couldn't make out what was said.  
Other than that, however it was as if nothing had changed. They were just as high strung as before, Heero given to deep silences, although he managed to keep at least one eye on Duo which Quatre wasn't sure was new, and Duo babbled on contentedly. He seemed to have a new spring in his step, and Heero was making an effort to be more open. Whatever closeness the pilots had found in the explosion, Quatre decided, it seemed to be good for them.

Duo's feet slammed on the metal decking of the Peacemillion with a satisfying ringing that amused Eluned D'Cevni no end. When Duo had awoken in the medical bay of the Peacemillion, curled in Heero's arms, he thought for some reason that she might have stayed in Dathyl. He was mistaken.

  
She had appeared within the first hour in the dress that she had died in with her hair loose about her shoulders, then she had seen what the sweepers wore and now she went barefoot in a flight suit that she had gotten somewhere, and her hair up in a tight tail. Duo's comment that it covered the place where her head had split open, having fallen to her death, meant that if anyone else saw her, which Duo doubted, she appeared as a beautiful, if slightly eccentric, pilot.

The Peacemillion amused and delighted her like a favoured bauble. Her first view of Howard had resulted in peals of laughter then hours of mocking his stride, and once Duo found her lying in his bunk repeating their off colour sea shanties.

She mocked Trowa with uncanny likeness, pulling her tail over her face before repeating something he had said with a very serious expression on her face, that it made it very hard for Duo not to laugh, because she almost always did it in mixed company, and usually in front of Trowa.

Wufei caused her to purse her lips and then frown when he started on something, it was not hard to find him ranting on about something. Her dark mutters of onna meant that if Duo believed that she could do something to him then Wufei would know her displeasure.

Quatre, however, she adored. She would sit beside him and run her fingers through his hair, and drink imaginary cups of tea with him. When he asked her why she took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders in a way that suggested that he really should know the answer to that.

For some reason, though, despite that there was no way that he could know, she never said anything about Heero. In fact she ignored Heero absolutely and totally, which suited Duo just fine.  
Now she was sat on the ledge which doubled up as a desk cleaning her nails with a knife she had acquired from somewhere. "You have questions." She said bluntly, pulling her long legs up around her so she sat cross legged.

"More than I know what to do with." Duo answered calmly, sitting down on the bed. "I doubt you could answer most of them."

"I could try." She said, "alternatively, it might be a better idea to store them for later, and lay your head down for some sleep. I know your Senshisha is busy but I could sing you a lullaby." He looked at her, surprised. "Duo," she had finally stopped calling him Tennosha, "I am here to guide you, to protect you and to help you, not for my own amusement. Think of me like the big sister you never had," she stretched her legs out in front of her and then put her hands on her hips, "now into that bed, mister, before I get mad."

The door to the room slid open and Heero stood in the aperture. "I thought you were supposed to be getting some sleep." He said, and his voice was softer than Duo thought he'd ever hear it.

"That's what I told him." Eluneth said sharply, blatantly disregarding the fact that Heero couldn't hear her.

"I can't sleep without you." Duo said and he genuinely meant it. "And with the watchful eyes of Lady Eluneth staring at me." He said to the girl in the corner. She stuck her tongue out at him before dispiriting. He held

out his arms to Heero, like a small child would to it's parent, and Heero took the two steps into his arms before sitting next to him on the bed.

"Do you think the medications will help?" Heero asked him quietly. Since returning Duo had mentioned to Doctor G that he had been seeing things that he wasn't sure were there and he had been recommended to take some strong psychotropic drugs that would stop that.

"No." Duo answered, "and they'd put me out of commission for at least a week, maybe more. Eluneth's not so bad." He laid his head on Duo's shoulder, "she's like a mother hen, she was telling me to sleep, said she'd sing me a lullaby, and Old Pete in storage is great for knowing where things are. It's weird, for the most part they don't mean any harm but…"

"But they are still there." Heero said, stroking Duo's braid and back.

"Yeah." Duo answered. "I can see the dead, Heero, I see Quatre's Mom, and Trowa's Dad occasionally, and this woman that liked Howard, and they don't speak to me, not like Leney and Old Pete but."

"But they are still there." Heero repeated.

"Yeah." He was silent for a moment. "I think Leney keeps most of them at bay."

"How does she feel about being called Leney?" Heero asked. Duo could talk to no one else about the dead so he talked to Duo, it brought them closer than Duo had thought possible.

"At first she was all," he raised his head to do an impression of Dorothy Catalonia, "I will have you know, sir, that I am her serene highness Eluneth Regat D'Cevni," Duo smiled remembering it, "then she just smiled at me and said all my brothers called me that too. I think she likes it, I mean sometimes she gets all quiet and mopey and I think she misses them, and stuff, but she's having a lot of fun here. She says she'll go home when she finds someone to be a big sister to me for real." Heero looked shocked at that revelation, "I don't really want her to go."

"Then we will have to ask her to stay." Heero answered in his perfectly crisp way, summing up everything for Duo succinctly. "Now, take off those boots and get into bed with me, we have a long day tomorrow."  
As he lay in the circle of Heero's arms, listening to his perfectly even breaths Duo could have sworn that he heard Eluneth singing


	2. Chapter 2

Duo blinked twice into the secure curve of Heero's neck at the sound of the klaxon. "Leney," he murmured, raising his head, "what is it?"

  
She cocked her head in the darkness. "There's a big metal man coming." She said, "a purple one."

Duo thought for a moment, "shit," he said sitting up, "it's Epyon."

"Hn," Heero said, going from asleep to battle ready in seconds. "Thank you, Miss Eluneth," he said looking in the complete wrong direction.

"Pilots, scramble!" The voice came over the tannoy, "we have Oz sighted, repeat, we have Oz sighted, scramble."

There was a mad dash to the hangar where the other pilots were waiting. Wufei and Trowa were waiting patiently as Quatre struggled into his flight suit which had twisted behind him. At another time Duo would have laughed.

 

 

Deathscythe's cockpit was like a comfortable cradle, the heavy woven straps about his shoulders and across his lap gave him the second greatest feeling of safety he knew. The other was when he was with Heero. He arranged all the HUD so that he could see what was happening. "Ready for lift off." Quatre's voice came over the tannoy.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The g forces were a rush as Deathscythe's rocket boosters came on line jetting him into space.

"Can we do that again?" Eluneth asked from behind him. Duo laughed to himself because he knew exactly how she felt. The adrenaline was filling his veins and he could feel his heart beat faster.

 

 

Epyon was stood waiting for them. "So you all came for me." Zech's voice was dry and amused. "Exactly what I wanted."

Duo was surprised by the tall golden man that appeared in front of his display screen. The dead of the colonies rarely appeared to him, but this man was tall and beautiful, with a thick blonde beard. "Run." He said. "Flee."

He flicked off his microphone before answering the man. "I'm not going to take your threats." He said.

"They are not my threats." The man said, "they are my son's, he has a weapon that Oz calls a PSP, it was designed to destroy you. Unlike my son I am a pacifist, I will not see you killed if I can avoid it."

"What's a PSP?" Eluneth asked suddenly.

The golden man looked at her directly before he answered. "A point singularity projectile."

Duo rolled the words around in his mouth for a moment, then he switched on his microphone. "He's got a black hole bomb." He shouted, "Take him out as quick as possible."  
"No!" The King of Cinq said and then vanished into the vacuum.

"So you found out my secret." Zech's voice was amused. "The bad news is that it's too late." His voice was cold and calm with just a hint of laughter. "Eeny meanie, miney, Sandrock." The bomb arced out leaving behind it a trail of sparks.

The bomb exploded behind Sandrock, there was a hissing sound then an explosion, then the space warped and collapsed in on itself. The vacuum caught him in it's power. "04!" Trowa shouted and launched himself after Quatre.

"Shit!" Duo said and dove in after him.

"Duo!" Heero shouted, launching Wing into the gravity of the event horizon.

"What the hell!" Duo shouted.

"If we're going down…" Wufei shouted, launching the dragon's claw, "then you sure as hell are coming with us." It landed on Epyon with a satisfying clang. Then the world went black.

 

 

Duo came to slowly on a hard bed, listening to a series of very strange noises, Heero's rhythmic breathing and the sound of stone crumbling and something striking stone. He opened his eyes and the room was perfectly black, there was not a glimmer of light. He closed his eyes again and opened them trying to reassure himself he was not blind.

Then there was a flood of light from his left and the sound of a minor avalanche, then a thin and rather nasal voice shouted, "Sir Gereint! I've found something."

Duo took advantage of the light to look around the room. It was a perfect semicircle and laid out in it were six biers, five of which featured the Gundam pilots. They were all dressed strangely, Heero was dressed like a historical samurai with a splash of embroidered camellia's over his stomach. Quatre was wearing a pair of wide legged pantaloons and a short loose shirt that appeared to be made of a heavy linen but which showed the metal belts he was wearing. There was a heavy woven gold collar around his neck, which was open with two golden nubs, one carved with a dolphin and the other a wolf. There was a solid metal circlet twisted through his hair. Trowa wore a pair of loose three quarter length tan leather trousers, with four belts looped around his waist, and a sleeveless linen shirt that was tied tight about his chest. Wufei was wearing a long heavy silk robe with a dragon sash, and the hems were embroidered with silk dragons.

He looked down at what he was wearing, a long white heavy wool robe held fast by a silver chain. His hair was loose about his shoulders. There was a heavy pendant on his chest, and he lifted it, it was an oroborous. He was dressed in the formal robes of the Lady of Meirin. He started screaming. His hand flew to the weight about his chest and clawed at the pendant ripping it off himself, and then he realised there was something else at his throat, he felt it carefully, it was a ribbon and a ring. It was the marriage tokens that the Darin empress had given him.

"By Acuya's golden veil." A man shouted coming into the room as the others started to rouse. "Calm down, lad, shush, calm down. Cedric!" He was a tall, broad man with wide shoulders. He was dressed in a heavy leather jacket and pants. He had loose black curls and a deep tan. "Put some soup on, and some blankets. Your corpses are alive."

He stood next to Duo and offered him his hand, to find Heero alert, awake, and holding a sword point to his throat. "Hold your horses, lad," the man said, "I don't mean you any harm, I just want to make sure everything is fine, you can put the sword away and we can come to an agreement."

"where the hell are we?" Quatre said swinging his legs over the edge of the bier he was laid out on. There was a small chest at each of their feet. "Oh, Allah," he said clutching his head. "The voices." He murmured. Trowa sat silent, staring at Gereint through his bang, and Wufei had managed to get himself into a sitting position that promised violence.

Gereint took a deep breath before he answered. "I am Sir Gereint, an Angel of the Knights of Saint Baatori, and this is the catacombs of Sidi, I'm excavating them for Sir Cameron, Cedric is my assistant."

"An archaeologist?" Quatre asked. But Eluneth's answer was more determined. "Seraphim."

"You're a seraphim!" Duo accused, Heero's eyes grew colder as he prepared the death strike.

"We don't go by that name usually." Gereint said, "we haven't called ourselves that in centuries, but yes, I am Seraphim, nominally, I am an Angel, I'm a scholar, I only joined the Seraphim by my father's command for the education. Come, let me get you something to eat and I can verify my story."

"He's tell the truth." Quatre said. "He trained under Sir Cameron in the Academy of Saint Baatori, he's looking for a sword that was lost here."

"How did you know that?" Gereint asked, shocked.

"I don't know." Quatre answered, I just do."

"Draima," Eluneth hissed in Duo's ear. "The Angels are safe though, they have no interest in politics, they are alchemists and historians, you are safe with him."

Duo nodded. "We'll trust you," he said, "for now."


	3. Chapter 3

"Well," Gereint said, "I have a couple of questions." He said sitting back around the fire, "it's not every day that my dig turns out people asleep in a tomb." He was twisting the cup of hot kir, that Cedric had made, in his hands as he thought about it. "Especially here in Sidi."

"Where are we?" Wufei asked, he looked a little wild eyed as he stared into the deep red kir that Cedric had given him as if working out what it was. Duo had already emptied his cup and was having seconds whilst they waited for the soup.

"The catacombs of Sidi." Gereint answered, "we're about half's a day's walk from the surface here, we'll walk up with you come dawn, you don't want to go out into Sidi at dark."

"Sidi," Heero mused the word, running his fingers along the black leather saya that held his sword. "Can you give us a map?"

Gereint looked at Cedric who got up with a roll of his eyes and started rooting around in the boxes that they have. "Not a problem." Gereint said.

"You're being mean to him." Quatre said, referring to Cedric.

"He's my errant." Gereint said, "Sir Valien picked on Sir Cameron, Sir Cameron picked on me, and when he's knighted Sir Cedric will have an errant of his own to bully, and believe me, I'm not that mean to him."  
"How long has it been since you saw the sun?" Quatre asked.

"A week." Cedric answered, "but I am honoured indeed to be serving under Sir Gereint, it's a great honour to have been chosen, and he took me off from Sir Amitre and he was mean, Sir Gereint is a good man, and a great scholar."

"Okay," Quatre said, backing down. Heero looked at the map that Cedric handed him. "What kind of soup is that?"

"Pea," Cedric answered, "they keep really well down here." He sounded slightly apologetic.

"Sir Gereint, if you would show us where we are." Heero said laying the map down. Sir gereint pointed out the city of Sidi which was drawn as five towers around a base, and then he pointed out a place just outside the city in a dark sprawl on the map.

"We are in the Termigent?" Duo asked looking at where Gereint had pointed, even in the lamplight the colour bleached from his skin.

"Technically, we are under it." Cedric said, "the catacombs here in Sidi go for miles in each direction, we're trying to map them." He sounded proud.

"Is there something you should be telling us?" Trowa said looking at where Heero and Duo sat together.

"We need to get to the Seraphim stronghold." Duo said calmly, ignoring him. "We need to find Danan D'Karioni." Heero's face matched the determination in Duo's voice. It was his Shinigami voice and they promised violence between them.

"Danan?" Gereint asked, "you're looking for Danan?" He looked incredulous and amused at some great joke that they weren't privy to. "I can't imagine why you'd think that he'd be in the Academy, he's been at Halcyon for years."

"And you're sure that you're looking for Danan?" Cedric asked, "not Stevan or Mikael or any of the other D'Karioni."

"Absolutely sure." Duo said, "more sure than I've been of most things."

"Look." Wufei said, losing his temper and putting down his cup down on the tiled floor. "There is obviously something you know that we don't, as a team I ask that you let us know all the information that you have. Like where the hell are we? How the hell did we get here? Why are we dressed like this?"

"That is one of the questions I had." Gereint said hopefully. "So, if any of you have answers, I'll be more than glad to help with what I know if you tell me what you know." He crossed his legs so he was sat more comfortably on the floor around the fire. "But please, settle my curiosity on this at least," he looked clearly at the ribbon around Duo's neck. "Who married you two? I mean are you old enough legally, you don't look seventeen to me, and well, it's strange enough that it's two boys but you're so young."

"The Darin empress." Heero answered.

"Hatchet-face?" Cedric gasped. "Or do you mean the dowager, Hatchet-face the elder?"

"She was beautiful." Duo said, "she tricked us." He seemed shocked, "we didn't know."

"Well," Cedric said with a smile, he was a thin youth, probably about the same age as they were, but thin and pimply with it, his hair was cut in a strange bowl fashion and none of his clothes seemed to fit him. "You two are a good match, and well, old Hatchet-face has a strange sense of humour."

"We need to get to Halcyon, show me how." Heero was growling, he was obviously very close to being angry, Duo knew that and put his hand on Heero's thigh to calm him.

"Why?" Gereint asked.

"We need to find Danan D'Karioni." Duo said angrily.

"Look, despite the fact that we are miles underground, I want to know how you got into a tomb that's been bricked shut for centuries." Gereint said, "I'll take you to the surface tomorrow and you can do what you like, but you got to tell me."

Duo decided to answer this, he repeated the words that Eluneth was saying with a smile, "Strange things happen in the Termigent." He said calmly, "now is that soup ready?"

"Always thinking with your stomach, Duo Maxwell." Trowa's deep voice rumbled.

There was a deep growling sound as Heero noticed Trowa staring at Duo. Trowa met his gaze through his bang with a dispassionate expression and then shook his head slightly. The growling stopped as Heero acknowledged that Trowa had no interest in Duo.

Cedric noticed it as well, "I'll get you some bowls." He said scrabbling around in his pack.

"Although your answer has merit." Sir Gereint said, "it still leaves a lot of things open, like why you two were tricked into marriage."

"And why you're dressed like the Cadacus." Cedric added ladling the soup into bowls and passing them around. Gereint gave him a dark look that Heero noted for future reference.

"I am his Senshisha." Heero answered blankly. "We were asked to make our vows not realising that they would be marriage vows."  
Gereint nodded. "Then you are his Tennosha." Gereint said, he seemed to pause over the words as if checking they were right and Cedric looked at him like he was talking in tongues, like the rest of the pilots he clearly had no idea what the words meant.

Duo nodded. "I am the Shinigami." He said sadly. "Thus we have to get to Halcyon."

"I have to take a shipment of artefacts to Halcyon next week." Gereint said, "I'll take you with you. I think Sir Cameron might be better qualified to understand what you're telling me." Heero acknowledged that with a nod but said nothing.

"Quatre said you were looking for a sword." Wufei chipped in around his soup.

"Yes," Gereint said, "the sword-smith Pwyll made it to order but it's been lost since then, there are a lot of records of it being made and being accepted but nothing since. It's become considered a great myth." This was the reason he was in the catacombs of Sidi. "I managed to chase it's trail to Meirin and the caretaker Takeo said that it would most likely be here."

"Does it have a name?" Quatre asked.

"Yes," Cedric blurted, "it's supposed to be the best that Pwyll ever made, it's called Immortal Beloved and is supposed to be perfectly weighted with a buckskin handle, it's worth a lot to academe." He was excited and blabbering, "it's supposed to have something engraved on it."

"It does." Heero answered hefting the saya across his knee where he knelt. "It says Fushi no saiai on one side, and setsunakutemo zutto on the other." He slid the sword free and handed it to Gereint, "this is the sword Immortal Beloved."

Gereint took it like it was infinitely precious and then held it against the light. "Thank you." he said as if it was the treasures of the world that Heero had given him, or if it was a small child he had given him.  
"What does it say?" Cedric said.

"Immortal beloved." Duo answered, "and despite that it's torture, always." He licked his lips, "it doesn't translate very well." He added.

"I thought the sword was supposed to reveal the mysteries of death." Cedric protested.

"No," Gereint corrected, "the sword was cast for the protection of death. But I think the translation might be wrong, maybe the sword was cast for a Senshisha, the guardian of the Lady of Meirin."

"But Lady Minako was the last Lady of Meirin." Cedric protested.

"I am the Lord of Meirin." Duo corrected. "Mina was the last but I am her successor, acknowledged and accepted by the Empress of Darie and the Queen of Dathyl."

"Then you two have a lot of explaining to do." Wufei said in a manner that threatened violence. "Like where in the seven hells are we? How in the seven hells did he get here? Why in the seven hells am I dressed like this? When in the seven hells did you two get married? I demand that you must tell me."

"Sidi," Cedric answered, "I found you in the catacombs over there. As you were laid out like corpses I imagine that you're in ceremonial robes, they already answered that they got married when they made their vows." He answered each of the questions in turn without blinking but it obviously made Wufei angrier by the moment.

"This is the country of Aatoria." Gereint answered, "and each of you are dressed formally. You," he looked at Quatre, "are dressed as a nobleman of Jimpachi, these two are dressed as Tennosha and Senshisha, he," he looked at Trowa, "is an Aatorian demon slayer, and you," he looked at Wufei, "I've only ever seen pictures of what you are wearing, you are a Dragon lord."


	4. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Chapter 4**

**Chapter 4**

The semicircular tomb in which Gereint had discovered the pilots looked completely different when it was properly lit. The walls were covered in a detailed frieze in which two winged armies met over a dark and ominous forest in the centre of which was a golden city. A huge serpentine lizard coiled over the golden dome in the centre of the city, and a figure in white, guarded by a figure in black armour, was surrounded by hazes on the edges of the forest. From five black towers a demon hunter stood in the shadow of a figure in a thick red robe holding a silver circle over his head. Gereint sat sketching the frieze over many pages in a leather bound journal with a stick, Cedric was sat beside him describing what it showed in a quick scratchy hand. Like that the knight and his errant looked like the archaeologists they described themselves as.  
He had told the pilots that they could come and go as they pleased but to stick to the paths that were marked with threads because they had been mapped. It was clear that they weren't prisoners but were a long way from freedom.  
At the end of each bier was a wooden chest, Duo was the first to open his as the others sat behind him warily as if waiting for it to explode. He bit his lip then licked it, and placed the ring that he wore around his neck into his mouth and started sucking on it. It was something that he did with his cross when he was nervous. His cross, however, was missing.  
The scales carved into the ring were rough against his tongue but it was reassuring and the black ribbon was soft against his chin.  
He had hoped the chest was empty. It wasn't.  
Inside was a thin black wool cloak with sleeves and a hood. There was an oroborous brooch to hold it shut. There was a wooden wand that was fascinated to a short sword sheathe with two leather straps, burned into the leather was the word Deathscythe. There was also several books and two changes of clothes as well as a leather knapsack to store them in.  
Under the knapsack was a small silk lined box and when he opened it the ring fell from his mouth in horror. It was a set of hematite jewellery, a choker, bracelet, anklet, crown and long earrings. He had seen these jewels once before, Minako had shown them to him. Like the white robe he wore they were part of the official dress of the lady of Meirin. There was also a padded hairbrush and a second length of the black ribbon to bind back his hair.  
Heero put his hand on Duo's shoulder even though there was no way he could have known what the jewellery was, but he recognised the distress he was suffering.  
Heero's chest revealed a similar set of items, the black wool cloak and oroborous brooch were identical, as was the knapsack, but in lieu of the books he had an extra set of clothes and a wrapped bundle which revealed a second katana, a wakizashi or short sword, and a tanto, a full bladed dagger. It was the complete set that any warrior needed. They all bore the symbol Tasuki, or wing. There were other weapons in the box as well, some Heero had no idea how to use, and a small box of poisons.  
The robe which was black for Heero and Duo turned out to be a deep rich red for Quatre, a colour only a shade lighter than blood, and hemmed in rich fur, which the others weren't and lined in velvet. Although the cut was the same this cloak was much heavier, and there was a matching jacket which was heavily embroidered with cherries. There was a pair of shotel, and rather strangely, a round copper mirror with a deep red cord threaded around it.  
Wufei's chest revealed a heavy silk and velvet robe embroidered with golden dragons and a matching cap. Like Quatre he had no brooch to fasten the robe, instead there were several gold beads to use as buttons. There was no weapon but instead was a set of heavy golden bangles that went up the length of both forearms, and a pair of his ankles.  
Trowa's chest revealed a rather impressive arsenal of weapons, throwing stars, knives, two swords, a buckler emblazoned with a red cross, and pride of place, nestled on the forest green cloak was a heavy cross bow, carved into it's side was the word Heavyarms. There was a bag of money but none of the jewels that Quatre or Duo had found.  
"Anything interesting in there?" Gereint asked.  
"Enough weapons to take on an army." Duo said sitting back, "and some sketch books for me, oh and a mirror for Quat." Eluneth had said that the angels were only nominally Seraphim that they owed their allegiance only to knowledge and thus he could be trusted.  
"Hmmm," Gereint mused. "That matches the frieze." He was still diligently copying the image. "I just wonder if this is a prophecy or a history."  
Wufei started at that, "pardon." He said.  
"Well, if it's a history it's telling of the great Paraiko war." Cedric said, "and if it's a prophecy…" he left it open.  
"It is not like the prophecies in the chapel of many colours." Heero protested. "The winged creatures in those prophecies only bore a single wing, these figures are in many colours and have two."  
"If it's a prophecy," Gereint said, "then I can't help you, I am a historian not a student of the prophecies."  
"I thought prophecies were spoken." Quatre said, "like and lo on the fourth day and all that." He looked confused.  
Gereint could answer that question. "The prophets, or draimae, had visions, they didn't come out in words they came out in images, and when they wrote them down they became corrupted so they drew them."  
"Every child knows that." Cedric said rather dismissively. "And the prophecies of the Draima Rei are the most accurate. They are listed in the book of Erik, but they don't have winged people in them."  
"The A'setra prophecies," Duo mumbled, "the A'setra prophecies," he was running them over in his mind, the images that he had seen in the Aegis before he woke up in Peacemillion. "What if this is one of the A'setra prophecies?"  
"The Lord of Death prophecies?" Gereint said looking interested at last. "They're a myth. He's supposed to come from the empire with this amazing power and wings, which I'm sure we'd notice, and to him death will be no barrier and he will make flesh swim like water before he saves or damns the world." His tone was dry. "That's the kind of rubbish the Seraphim Devoted spout to promote their world order, like the draima. There hasn't been a draima in so long no one even remembers the last one, the A'setra is a myth, nothing more." He took a deep sigh, "you'll be telling me next that you believe in the Perseverance, the ghost ship that marks his coming."  
"But you said it might be a prophecy." Trowa answered, turning the knight's own words against him.  
"It might, any one can paint a picture like this and say it will come true, that makes it a prophecy, there are hundreds of these all over Aatoria, you should see the ones in Aviemore if you think this one is impressive." Gereint's answer was cold and crisp.  
"Then tell us, what does it mean?" Duo asked. He thought Gereint was wrong but didn't want to say anything until they had found their way out of the tunnels just in case it ended in violence. Although he had no doubts that they would be able to overpower him and his errant it didn't mean they could make their way to the surface on their own.  
"The winged people are obviously the Paraiko," Gereint said dryly, " the forest is the Termigent, and the golden city and dome is the Atelerio within Atalantis, a city swallowed by the forest. The five towers there," he pointed his charcoal, "is Sidi, where we are, and look they've painted two of you there. For all we know this painting is simply decoration that's why I'm recording it for the prophecy scholae in Dathyl they'll look at it and will be able to tell us more. It's interesting not because of the winged people, but the dragon." He pointed at the flying serpent in the picture, "there hasn't been a dragon recorded since the Akheniad."  
"Menelaus." Heero said suddenly. "Menelaus killed the dragon, it is in the library window at Halcyon."  
"Exactly, it's the only dragon I've ever run across. It could be a reference to a cognomen, some lord or other might be referred to the dragon, it could be an honest dragon, it might be a constellation. The fact is that I don't know nearly enough to even guess what the picture is saying."  
"Then why are you so sure the winged figures are Paraiko?" Wufei pressed, he wanted to understand this but it made no sense to him.  
"Because the Paraiko have wings." Cedric answered, bluntly, "not that any have been seen in centuries, the Devoted maintain that Lord Selestin the Paraiko Lord is alive and well and living in the Forest but no one will go in to search for him."  
"Why?" Quatre asked.  
"It is haunted." Heero answered, he thought for a moment of the ominous black shadows of the Ningyo that he had seen in the Forest outside Samrath where Mina had fallen. "The Forest is dangerous, it drives those who enter it mad, and if the monsters do not destroy the intruder then the forest itself does."  
"How do you know this stuff?" Wufei asked, horrified, even as Quatre ran his fingertips over the mirror that he had been given.  
"They've been here before." Trowa answered. "Haven't you?"  
Both Duo and Heero nodded agreement. "We were in Halcyon, in Dathyl, and then we went to the capital Dramathen and then east to Meirin." Duo said, "we were only here about a month or so, but enough to know how it works here."  
"And?" Quatre pressed.  
"Dathyl is wedged between two other countries that vie for more power, the Seraphim pick fights with everyone else, the empire to the north is dangerous, Halcyon is a mausoleum and Sidi belongs to the Garvem."  
"Impressive." Gereint said. "You learnt that in a month, you must have had a good teacher."  
"The best." Heero grunted.  
"We had guardians." Duo added, "if you need someone to vouch for us then speak to Tobin D'Cevni." At the name Heero growled again, "he promised to be our sponsor, either he or Josian will back up our story."  
"Again," Gereint said, "they are at Halcyon, at the moment I'm considering you daemons being as you woke up in the tomb I'm excavating and I really couldn't care what you do or do not know."  
"I'm the Lord of Meirin." Duo answered sadly. "I know all sorts of things I shouldn't."  
"Is it true?" Cedric asked. "Can you see the dead?"  
To Quatre's complete horror Duo nodded.  
"Then, Duo," Wufei asked, "tell me about my wife."  
"Long MeiLan?" Duo answered with a light laugh, "she's a proper little spitfire." He smiled to himself, "you don't eat well enough, and you spend too much time reading, as a warrior you don't need to read so much, that's the reason that Treize beat you apparently, because you spent too much time reading Miyamoto and Sun Tzu and not enough time practising."  
Wufei looked a little hurt as Duo continued. "Either you can speak to her or you've spent months studying her on colony footage."  
Duo looked amused, "you have a birthmark of a..." Wufei's eyes wide before he cut Duo off.  
"Impressive." He said.  
"This could be staged." Gereint said, "you could have arranged this before you broke into the tomb."  
"No," Quatre said adamantly, "Duo doesn't lie."  
"He can't." Heero corrected, "it is a part of what he is."  
"Then let me tell you about Ekeade." Duo said and Gereint looked at him shocked, trying to school his emotions not to let it show. "You are in love with a woman whose husband you killed, the sister of the emperor." He laughed, "man, you've got it bad and she just wants to kill you."  
"How in the hell?" Gereint asked, "you couldn't…" he found the words lacking.  
"I'm the Lord of Meirin," Duo sounded smug this time, "I know all sorts of things that I shouldn't."


	5. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Duo awoke slowly in the circle of Heero's arms and wondered what it was that had woken him. He was warm, comfortable, safe and still tired so he could not understand what had woken him. He took a deep breath and snuggled back into Heero to go back to sleep. "I suppose you'll have to do." A woman's voice said, "strange little creature that you are." Duo thought about it, there was no women in the catacombs of Sidi, unless someone had come in later, but at the same time no one could have evaded all of the pilots and not woken Heero, it meant only one thing, this woman, who ever she was, was dead.  
"What do you want?" He asked.  
"A lot of things." the woman answered, "I'll settle for the knowledge that for now you will help me."  
"I won't help you if I don't know who you are." Duo said.  
"My name is Achren." The woman said, she was handsome rather than lovely, with strong features and she wore a rich red robe that undulated around her as if she was underwater or that it was alive, her dark blonde hair was held back from her face by a diadem and she wore a heavy twist of gold around her throat that was almost identical to the one that Quatre had woken in. "I was lady of this place before my murder," she turned and twisted away from him, half of her face was skeletal but then she turned back and her face was perfect again. "I only wish you to find out who murdered me, and in return, for I realise that nothing is gained through altruism, I will offer my counsel."  
"Eluneth guides me." Duo protested.  
"Eluneth is a child murdered by a man who wanted her beauty for himself." Achren answered, her voice was even and firm, "I was a master of politics feared by many, I was master of the Garvem. I am aware of secrets that Eluneth could not be privy to. I spent my life on an equal footing with the emperors and kings." Her tone was almost insulting. "Both Eluneth and I could make you a great lord, Eluneth is very fond of you, she thinks of you like she was your mother or your beloved sister, I on the other hand while be your adjutant, I will guide you and she will love you."  
"And if I don't want your counsel." Duo asked.  
"The advantage of counsel," Achren said, "is it is only a guide, an adjutant is an advisor, I can no more make you take it than I could discover the identity of my own murder." Everything about her spoke of water, it coiled about her, the edges of her robe were like tentacles. Eluneth was more perfectly formed although sometimes it was possible to see the terrible wound that had killed her, but at the same time she did not have the half rotted look that Achren had when she turned her head. Also, judging by the fact that Eluneth wore a flight suit, then Achren had chosen the robes. It was also clear that Eluneth made herself look alive for Duo's comfort but Achren enjoyed the image of herself as a watery wraith.  
"I am sorry, Madam phantom," Heero said cracking open one eye, and glaring in the wrong direction. "But it is late and I think you can speak to him in the morning."  
Achren raised a single golden eyebrow in disdain. "I am not a senshi to be commanded thus." She said and flowed over towards them. "You are Tennosha," she told Duo, "you don't need to sleep nor eat. There are demons of the forest that bow to your will, the Ningyo," Duo thought of the deformed creatures that he had summoned from the Termigent, "the Shiko-me and the Youkai, you do not need such a Senshisha." She reached out and touched Heero's hair, "unless of course you use him for your pleasure, he is pleasing to the eye."  
"I think that's enough." Eluneth said putting her hands on her hips. "Duo, send her away, she cannot return then without your permission."  
Achren smiled and then laying a blessing kiss on his forehead, she vanished into mist leaving behind a faint trail of her perfume, something none of the other dead had done. Duo took a deep yawn and resolved to think about it the next morning, and went back to sleep in Heero's arms.

Wufei spurned sleep. Although he was tired he had questions that the other pilots were reserving the answers for. He wanted to know why the others had received weapons but he had only received jewellery. He was a warrior from a clan of warriors. He could defeat Heero Yuy when they sparred, a feat he could not hope to repeat in his Gundam. He climbed out of the bedroll that Sir Gereint had given him and went to the light in the next room, leaving Trowa and Quatre behind as he decided that he wanted answers.  
Where were they?  
Why were they here?  
How had Duo known so much about MeiLan?

Sir Gereint was sat at a desk by the golden light of a lamp, he was poring over the books that Duo had found in the chest, although they were blank there was a lot that could be learned from their manufacture. He was most interested in the embossed logo on the front which showed a snake swallowing its own tail. Each scale of the snake had been pressed with vivid attention to detail, in fact, it was almost possible to see the adder's diamond design on its back. "I've been looking at this too long." Gereint murmured to himself.  
"Sir Gereint." Wufei said behind him.  
Gereint jumped. "By the Lady, boy, do none of you make noise? I am going to find that batch of slave collars I found and give you all bells."  
"My apologies." Wufei said, lowering his eyes, "I didn't mean to scare you."  
Gereint turned in his chair to look at him. "I thought you were all sleeping and I got lost in what I was doing. You probably could have come in with a marching band and still would have scared me." He sighed. "Couldn't sleep?"  
Wufei sat on the floor before him, "no, I have too many questions."  
"You have questions?" Gereint said with a smile, "I'd love to know how five fifteen year old boys got into a tomb that's been sealed for hundreds of years. You all have artefacts that the histories have no records of, and at least one of you claims to be part of a race that doesn't exist. To add mayhem to misery there's the frieze in the tomb which could be a prophecy which means I'll have to put up with Sir Ectar going," he sucked his breath through his teeth, "I don't know." It was obviously an impression but Wufei did not know the man Gereint was referring to. "So my major question is how long do I wait before reporting a possible prophecy?"  
"Before you said it might be a history." Wufei said.  
"It might, unfortunately I'm not in a position to judge. Weapons I know, prophecies and the like they aren't for me. Like that sword your young friend has, I could tell you all about it's manufacture but I didn't know it had an inscription. I didn't know the name was inscribed in Darin. I mean that chain on your waist is a binasu but how to use it," he shrugged, as Wufei's fingers went to the chain that was looped around him like a belt, "You'd have to ask Tobin D'Cevni about that, he's the only other person I've seen with one."  
The tone of the conversation made Wufei uncomfortable, so he decided to turn it back. "If it was a history you said it was the Paraiko war. What was that?"  
Gereint looked at him, "you don't know?" He said. Wufei shook his head. Gereint shrugged again and took a deep breath. "All right, in the beginning there was the god-void and then it separated into god and the void. God then separated further into the Gods and created the universe. To manage the universe they created a loom and the Kindly Ones to manage it, one to measure the threads, one to weave the threads and one to cut them." He studied Wufei intently to make sure he understood. "They put the loom in the Atelerio of Atalantis and surrounded it with the Dread Termigent Forest to protect it but the city was populated. Then from the South the Paraiko came in great boats. They were winged and rife with magic, apparently," he scoffed, "and they took the cities apart from Meirin in the north. They were immortal and terrible apparently. Then over a mortal woman they went to war. It was messy and they were mostly destroyed. The forest became their safe haven after the mortals turned against them."  
"but if they were immortal…" Wufei started, "how could they die?"  
"There are rooms in the Academy that echo to the strains of that question." Gereint said sagely. "Some say it's because when they mated with mortal women to create the draimae they became part of the loom giving Lethe power over them. Others say they weren't immortal to begin with, just very long lived. They're extinct now, if they ever existed."  
"What's a draima?" Wufei asked. He wondered briefly if he should be taking notes.  
"They were witches, always women, very long lived apparently and they could read minds and control thoughts. The most famous was the Spider who apparently ruled Sidi, here, for about three hundred years." Gereint went to turn back to his book, "look, I know you have questions, but I'm not sure I'm the one to be asking, when we get to Dathyl there is another angel there, Sir Cameron, big man, huge beard, but also one of the brightest minds this country has ever produced, he would be a much better choice to answer your questions. All I'm telling you is what any child of Aatoria could tell you. This isn't my speciality and I'm clever enough to way beyond my depth."  
Wufei nodded, "can you at least tell me about the dragon lords? You said I was dressed like one?"  
"I can tell you a fairy tale, nothing more. Before the Paraiko the world was ruled by the dragon Queens, sometimes just called the Queens." He thought about it, "they were apparently incredibly powerful sorceresses, and sometimes excavations throw up pictures we think might be of them, they were blue and scaly and could turn into dragons." He paused, "anyway they each held a bit of land and the Queen of the gorge by the bay had a daughter so she sent invitations to all of the other Queens to come and bless the child, but one queen didn't get the invitation and seeing the other Queens massing assumed they were planning to attack her. So she created a curse, that they would destroy themselves and that the child they were gathered to honour would be their downfall. She put it into a mirror." He stopped again. "The long and the short of it is the other Queens at some point gathered that there would be an attack and turned the curse on her, she was trapped inside the mirror and the Queens were destroyed by the curse. But only female children became Queens when they were born and only the females died with the curse. The males became great and powerful warriors in the gap between the Queens and the Paraiko, these were the Dragon Lords, they were half-breeds, like the draimae. They were fearsome warriors, apparently, but they were wiped out. Not that there were many of them to begin with."  
"Thank you for your candid answers." Wufei said.  
"All of that you could have learned from a child." Gereint answered, "Sir Cameron has access to the histories in Halcyon, it's possible he will have more answers for you." He went to stand up, stretching himself out, "You have a good mind on your shoulders, lad, perhaps you might want to join the angels, rather than hanging around with the rest of them, bricking yourselves into tombs and the like."  
"We didn't." Wufei said quietly, "we just woke up there, dressed like this."  
"As the other boy said, strange things happen in the Termigent." Gereint shrugged away the answer. "But I'll tell you this, don't ever go into the Forest, for any reason. I may not understand a lot of these myths that have stuck over the years, and I think they probably had some grounding in history, but I've seen the Forest attack. It will kill you, and it will enjoy it too. Strange things happen in the Termigent. Now, it's late, if I'm to take you back to the surface tomorrow I'd like to get some sleep. I'd advise you do the same."  
"Thank you." Wufei said with a bow of the head. "For being honest."  
"I'm an angel." Gereint said, "I don't agree with misinformation, nothing can be learned from propaganda and lies. Now, goodnight, and may flights of naiads guard your sleep."


	6. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Ribbon and the Ring 6?

When Heero and Duo had been to Dathyl before they had seen the sprawling mess of Dathyl, a city dominated by the Halcyon palace which Heero had said reminded him of pictures of Neuschwanstein in Europe but on a much larger scale. They had seen Dramathen which had resembled nothing more than the cities in the Samurai dramas that Heero watched for the emotion and Duo watched for the action. So none of them were prepared for Sidi1.

"It's like a hand." Quatre said, the most he had said since they arrived, since he had been incapacitated with terrible headaches. "Like a hand reaching for the sun."

"More like a rosebush," Trowa said, "that has just been pruned."

"On old maps," Gereint said behind them, "it is called the Citadel of the Black Hand." He pointed, "see how the four towers are together, there is a fifth one over us, it's called the thumb, though they are the four sisters."

"What are those webs between them?" Wufei asked.

"Skyways." Cedric answered, "they're really dangerous though, it's just three pieces of rope strung between the towers. One to walk on and two to balance yourself on"

Heero turned to Duo. "No." He said firmly. Duo just laughed sheepishly as if Heero had read his mind.

"Something reckless, dangerous and probably outright foolish, what makes you think I'd do something like that." He was grinning, and Wufei noticed how very warm and genuine his smile was, how different it looked. Normally when Duo smiled it was hard edged, it was a brittle thing, like a porcelain mask that had been over baked. The smile he offered Heero made Wufei want to smile back. "Now, suicidal, I know you'd be right beside me."

"Baka." Heero muttered, but there was no venom in it, in fact the way he said it he made it sound more like a petname, like it was some private joke between them.

"Can we go inside?" Quatre asked, "I have the most terrible headache."

"Still?" Cedric asked, hefting his pack on his shoulder, "I'll make you some willowbark tea," he pushed open the door to the castle, "and a lavender pack, it might do you some good to lie down in a darkened room."

"hear that, Tro," Duo said, "while the Quat's away, the Tro can play. Heero can look after Quat, and Wufei can read some of those books that Gereint promised him and you and I can play with the skyways."

"No." Heero said firmly. "I refuse to allow you to endanger you for something so irrelevant."

Duo stuck his tongue out at him, "you're no fun."

"You're in rare spirits." Gereint said. "Did something happen, because I hasten to remind you that you are underage and as I found you in my tomb then I would be your legal foster parent until we return you to your home, and well," he paused, "you're only babies."

Duo just laughed, "no," he said fondly, patting Gereint on the hand, "I just slept really well, my Hee-chan," he elongated the name to make it slightly more patronising, "is there to protect my virtue and make sure that no lone molesters could grab me in the catacombs, not that I might be averse to a molester, most of the men in Dathyl are so pretty, I mean you have the nicest forehead, and Tobin has the most amazing eyes."

There was a growling sound.

"I was thinking that maybe Heero would be the one to molest you, judging by the look in his eyes." Gereint said but Duo couldn't answer him.

Heero grabbed Duo by the wrist and pulled him across, "You said that you had no interest in Tobin," he snarled.

"And I don't." Duo answered, jerking his wrist away, "hmm, jealous much, I married you," he stuck his tongue out again, and then winked, "and well, Tobin doesn't swing that way."

"I'm getting the impression that that is the best thing for all involved." Trowa said.

"I want answers." Wufei said angrily, "I have no idea who these people are, what is going on? Why are you so protective of Maxwell, Yuy? What is going on here?"

"It's complicated." Duo answered, "but I'll explain later, we'll sit down with some kir and some food and I'll tell you all everything, well I'll tell you and Tro, but I think Kitty-Quat looks like he's about to pass out."

"Head ache." Quatre moaned as they walked through the castle.

Inside the castle Duo was surprised, he had expected something like the castles on Earth that had been redecorated to be how they had been in the middle ages for tourists, but it was not a castle built and decorated for war. In most castles spears were arranged here and there on the wall, or shields, or swords, or battle pennons. The tapestries on the wall, some of which had been stitched by a virtuoso and some were very poorly executed, were pictures of princesses being wooed or people hunting and there were many. The rugs on the floor were woven with pictures of flowers not battles. There were vases of fresh flowers dotted here and there along the corridors which ran in circles under the towers, and rather than looking like, what he knew it to be, the Garvem barracks, this castle looked like Okiya of Halcyon. It caught him unawares.

Women in grey coats like the ones that the Red had worn, although with skirts underneath, bustled about with trays and buckets, as did men in black. Gereint swung open a door revealing a lady's sitting room, "sit down, make yourselves some kir," he said, "Quatre if you follow me we'll go see an alchemist about this headache of yours."

"It's nothing." Quatre protested, but he was very pale and grey, "just a headache, probably the light."

"You had a headache in the catacombs." Gereint answered, "and until we get the lot of you home you're in my care, that means you and I are going to go and see the alchemist, Cedric is going to arrange you some rooms until I go to Halcyon in a couple of days, and I'm going to tell Sir Kail that you are here and that he is to look after you." He looked very paternal, and concerned.

"Thank you." Quatre said defeated. "Your kindness is appreciated."

"Thank you," Duo said, "send for Takeo in Meirin, he will verify my story and he will pay."

Gereint laughed, "a gift is a benefit more to the giver than the receiver." It sounded like a quote he was reciting. "Now come along, Quatre, let's go see the alchemist."

Wufei sat down on the padded armchair before the fire with Trowa facing him, Duo was fussing with herbs and a jug of water to make the spicy red tea. Heero had taken a seat by the door where he could watch the window. Although he knew that Duo was more than capable of looking after himself he didn't want him to have to, Wufei noticed it but said nothing.

"You promised me an explanation." Trowa said bluntly, "not more tea."

"We have been here before." Heero told him in the same curt voice.

"Really," Trowa answered, "I never would have guessed."

"We were at the LaGrange point just past L3," Duo said, "we had sneaked aboard an Oz transport ship and were about to go kaboom," he made a sweeping motion with his hands, "and then it went boom and we thought," he looked at Heero who raised a single eyebrow in query, "well I thought," he qualified, "that this was it, we were off to the great hangar deck in the sky if you catch my meaning, I mean I just hoped you had remembered to send my buddy to Silicon Heaven."

"Silicon Heaven?" Wufei queried, Heero groaned that someone had walked into it. "There's no such thing."

"Of course there is." Duo protested, looking a little put out.

"Where else would all the calculators go?" Trowa finished with an amused expression. It looked as if Wufei would combust.

"Anyway," Duo said preparing four cups for the kir when the water had boiled, "here's my thinking, well here it is, to die, would be an awfully big adventure, well at least I think that's what he said, hey has anyone noticed that put Treize Musttryharder looks kinda like Captain Hook under the wig."

"Baka." Heero murmured.

Duo grinned at that, he positively beamed like a halogen bulb had been lit under his skin. "So, here's me thinking we're dead and I wake up, naked, in bed with Heero and this man shouting that he had managed to punch a hole in the aether and we were demons. Ro tried to disabuse him of the notion, but before we knew what was happening we were shacked up in this really fancy pad in this palace called Halcyon." He poured the water into the cups without pausing for breath, "and Heero was all like this is an Oz trap but then really strange shit started happening, this woman kept talking to me and I was summoned to meet the Lady Minako, who was really cool, and she said I could talk to the dead and because of it I was going to be Lord of Meirin after her and that Heero was my guardian." He took a deep sucking breath before he continued, "of course we didn't believe her but it turned out that the woman I had spoken to, Avili, was dead and had been for months, and she proved it. So, not sure what else to do with us Mina took us to the capital where we met the empress, Teishi, and she said that Heero had to make this vow to me and I said okay, if that's the law and when we did she married us on the sly, I swear most of the women in this place are total yaoi freaks, and then the Seraphim attacked, not the angels, like Gereint, but the army. They're complete nut-jobs and they wanted Tobin because he had seen this massacre and if he went to court to admit it then the Queen, Aeka who was also really cool, would have to go to war with," he stopped and then smiled to himself, "here, and they chased us to Samrath, and there was this battle where Danan D'Karioni killed Mina by cutting out her heart and Tobin and Heero took me to Meirin where the Aegis said I had to choose, but I didn't know what I was choosing and said I wanted to go home and I woke up on Peacemillion, the rest you kinda know."

Wufei looked as if he was breathing for Duo as well, he just blinked. "I think I was happier not knowing." He said.

"It is simple." Heero said quietly, "Duo can speak to the dead, that gives him a claim to Meirin that was ratified by the empress, as his husband I have the job of protecting him, but first we are going to go to Halcyon and Danan D'Karioni will reap what he sows, then we will do out best to get home."

"I'm going to cut out his stinking black heart and eat it on a plate." Duo growled. He handed over the cups of kir before settling on the inglenook to drink his own. "Then I'm going to kill him."

"This Mina must have meant a lot to you." Trowa said quietly.

"She was really cool, yanno, she didn't care about anything, she was just there and she listened and sometimes she knew what to say and sometimes she didn't, but nevertheless she was there to just give you a hug because you need it. But she was unhappy and it made her hard edged." Duo said sadly.

"She was like a mother to us." Heero said from the door, "her and her husband were very kind to us when they had no cause to be, they welcomed us into their family with open arms. There was no harm in her, but he killed her regardless because of her talent."

"And this Tobin?" Trowa asked. Heero's gaze hardened into a glare.

"He sings at the Dathyl opera, he's the primadonna," Duo answered, "he and Ro got into a stink because I look like his dead girlfriend, but he said he was sorry and since then we've been cool but Heero," he elongated the name in a sing song fashion, "doesn't trust him."

"He has yet to earn my trust." Heero growled.

"Tobin's cool." Duo protested, "he's just like me." He beamed at that.

"Nataku help me." Wufei murmured under his breath, "another one."

Author's Note:

1\. When I created Aatoria (the country Dathyl is in) I wanted real landmarks for what I was describing, and Halcyon is based on Neuschwanstein but bigger and by the sea, and Sidi was based on a castle that appeared in a single episode of the cartoon dungeons and dragons called Darkhaven. One of the cities you haven't been to yet, Coresc, is cantilevered on a cliff face because I liked the idea of cantilevering and it's my world and I'll cantilever if I want to. Although none of you probably care the names Dathyl, Sidi and Cadarn are from Welsh myth, Coresc and Dramathen are unusual because I made them up. But Aatoria comes from Bathory because I was reading a book on Elizabeth Bathory at the time, one of the major houses became Baatorin and from that came Aatoria. See, you learn something new every day.


	7. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 7

Where Sir Gereint had been basically trusting, his researcher, Sir Kail, was not. Where Gereint looked every inch a knight, even if he was a scholar, Kail looked every inch the scholar. He had the most disconcerting habit of removing his spectacles and rubbing the bridge of his nose as if he was exasperated by the world in general. His clothes looked as if they had seen better years and his hair was wild and unkempt. He also always had at least two charcoal pencils about his person and books shoved into every pocket. He talked to himself as well.

He had, on Gereint's orders, arranged for them a series of rooms, that were interlocked, featuring three bedrooms and one large sitting room. Then he had locked them in with nothing to do.

On the first day the boredom had set in. Duo had spent an hour examining the strange stick and blade that was labelled I _Deathscythe /I _to discover that the handle twisted open and telescoped, and Trowa had realised that the leather loop at the top was to secure the blade. It had turned into several weapons, a pike, a staff and a scythe. That had amused them for several hours.

Despite being locked into the suite they knew perfectly well that Kail had hideously underestimated them. There was only one lock that could easily be picked and there was one of the skyway ropes practically outside their window. Nor had he taken the weapons that they had found in the tomb off them. Heero had supposed that Gereint had told him to, but it became obvious after several hours that he just didn't care.

On the third day when they were lying in the room making the best of the comfortable beds and the games that Eluneth had shown Duo involving several of the statues on the mantle of the sitting room when the servants had brought them food Wufei had demanded to speak to Kail.

He had arrived near dark looking for all the world as if the weight of the world was upon his shoulders, and his washed out eyes were red rimmed. "I hope this is important that you have pulled me away from my studies."

"Yes," Wufei said, crossing his arms, the rest of them were staring at him intently. "We can appreciate that you want to keep us prisoner here but nonetheless this is ridiculous." He gestured to include the rest of us. "We have waited patiently for Sir Gereint to return, but we can no longer amuse ourselves, if no provision for us is made then we will be forced to amuse ourselves in another way." It was a carefully worded threat. It was made all the powerful by Trowa happily polishing one of the wicked looking knives he had found.

Kail started to splutter than calmed himself, "can you read?" He asked, "if I bring you books will you make notes for me?"

Wufei nodded, "and something entertaining," he said, "we'll make all the notes you want if you entertain us, otherwise we'll sack this place." Under his bang Trowa smiled in a slow and sinuous manner, as if they had rehearsed this. In truth Trowa was that bored he was willing to attack Kail just for the amusement value. They had promised Gereint that there would be no mischief thinking it would give them the run of the city, it might have been Gereint's intention but it certainly wasn't Kail's.

Kail scoffed. Duo looked up from where he had been napping on Heero's lap with Heero's hand softly stroking his hair. "We will sack this place in a way that will make the battle of Witchead look naive, and that was done by five boys." Kail went quiet from his spluttering. "I'll send you some books and a shoji board." He closed and locked the door behind him.

"How did you know to say that?" Trowa asked. "How did you know about that battle?"

"The lady told him." Quatre answered from where he say beside the window, "the one with the crown." Heero blanched, he could not see the ghost of Eluneth that haunted Duo but it seemed Quatre could. He didn't know if it made him feel uncomfortable or just jealous. "When we were in the catacombs, she told him lots of stories." His voice was distant and he didn't turn away from the window. "I heard her."

"You can see her?" Duo asked, sitting up.

"No," Quatre answered softly, thoughtfully. The tea that they had given him for his ever present headache had made his voice soft and dreamy, "but you can. It's strange."

"Draima," Eluneth hissed in Duo's ear. Duo didn't know the word and assumed it was a curse.

Quatre had fallen silent watching the boats bob on the lake from their window. Open plains of water held a fascination for him as he was desert born, and the lake that Sidi was built on was no exception. With his silence Duo became introspective, leaning back unto Heero's lap and the calming stroking of his hair. Trowa and Wufei chose, wisely perhaps, to keep their own counsel.

Kail returned with an armful of books. He set them down on the table and handed each of them, bar Quatre, a sheet and paper. "I want you to find every reference to these," he said referring to the list on the paper, "and to mark it down with a page number so I can cross reference it later with Gereint."

Wufei picked up the largest book, "thank you." He said opening I Sir Cameron's History of Aatoria. /I He lifted one of the pens that Kail had brought them. "We'll be fine now." He said dismissing Kail peremptorily. "Thank you." He added turning away from him. Kail looked slightly shocked then as if he had been stung but shook his head and left the room locking the door behind him.

"Hey, Tro," Duo said sitting up with a smirk, "fancy doing some reconnaissance?"

"What do you mean?" Trowa asked.

"I'm bored, he's an ass, let's go raid the library. I mean I can't get over the cheek of it expecting us to do his work for him, aint that right, Wuffers." Wufei just grunted in agreement reading his book. "Let's go get something worth reading."

Trowa looked over at Heero, "wouldn't you prefer to go with him, as his husband, I mean?" It sounded as if Trowa would burst out laughing at that.

"You are better suited to stealth." Heero answered calmly. "And I know that you will protect him as carefully as I will." His smile was cold and treacherous.

"I can protect myself you know." Duo answered with his hands on his hips.

"It is my mission to protect you." Heero replied, shocked that Duo would even question his reasons.

"Is that all I am to you?" Duo was seething, "a mission." Then before Heero could answer he was away out of the window. Trowa looked between them and then followed Duo, he decided that the rickety looking skyways looked much safer than Heero at the moment.

"No," Heero said to himself, "you are my husband."

"Better you than me." Wufei said from the pages of his book where Quatre stared out over the water, "cursed to spend your life as the shadow of Maxwell."

"Yes," Heero answered crisply, "better me than you."

The castle of Sidi was a maze built around a spiral. "I guess," Trowa said, "this was what Sir Cameron meant by calling it Spiral castle."

Duo made a long slow clapping noise, "well aren't you brilliant?" he said dryly, "look world Trowa Barton made a revelation for the ages."

"Don't take your temper out on me, I'm not Heero." Trowa answered. "I didn't piss you off."

Duo's face fell as they walked along the corridor, "I thought he knew how I felt." He sounded sad but Trowa didn't look back at him, "I mean he's opening up to me, slowly, maybe, but he's doing it, and he doesn't mind doing it in public, and he sits, when I'm not watching, playing with his ring, and then he tells me I'm his mission."

Trowa sighed, "I'm a clown, Duo, not a marriage guidance counsellor." He looked at the bereft look on his face though, "maybe a mission is Heero's way of saying that he likes you."

"Leney says that when he calls me baka he's really telling me how much his care." Duo was staring at the floor.

"Well he certainly says it a lot." Trowa said, "but since the explosion he has said it differently, maybe this Leney is right." The words felt strange in his mouth and he knew that he was saying these things for Duo's benefit.

"Yeah," Duo muttered, "maybe she is."

"You do know that it's his destiny." Achren said from behind him, "and the library's to your left, down those stairs."

Talking with Eluneth meant that Duo had almost mastered the art of talking to those that he knew were dead without arousing suspicion from the living, it was those he couldn't recognise as dead he talked out loud to. "What do you mean?" He asked her with what he suspected was a form of telepathy. He was more comfortable speaking to them out loud.

"He was born to be your Senshisha." She answered calmly, "it's not like either of you had a choice in the matter. You are drawn to each other by the threads of fate."

"You're wrong." Duo answered automatically but the seed of doubt had already been sown.

"Even if it's predestined." Eluneth said from his right, "it doesn't make it any less. It's still love."

"Of course," Achren answered Eluneth's remark was surprising calm, "you tried to marry for love." Then in a moment of laughter she was gone, vanishing into a red mist like she had never been there.

"It's this way." Duo said out loud for Trowa's benefit as he walked down the stairs. "The library's this way."

Duo half expected to meet Kail in the library, instead he found a bustling young soldier complaining about the state of the books. A quick glance at Trowa reassured him that the soldier was dead.

It was completely unlike the library at Halcyon, where that had been a wonder of high piled books and works of art carelessly stacked because of a lack of space on the shelves this was immaculately arranged although dusty. Where the Halcyon library was haphazard but thorough this library was much smaller but each subject was grouped together. He moved to the romances, as Achren called them, and was assured by Eluneth that just because they were called romances didn't mean that they were all about love. He recognised the title of one of them, the Akheniad, as being the story that featured Menelaus, the figure that had dominated the Halcyon library from his vantage point in the stained glass window.

Nevertheless as he and Trowa selected books almost completely at random Duo was mulling over what Achren had said, that yes, Heero loved him, but that Heero had no choice in the matter. He thought of the three women that he had met in the forest, that Gereint had called the Kindly Ones, and wondered why they had cursed the Senshisha and Tennosha to love each other.

"Hey, Tro," Duo said, "do you mind if I get a book on the Kindly Ones?" He asked.

Trowa just shrugged. "If you want to read it and carry it, you get it."

"This way," Achren said appearing beside one of the bookcases on the far side of the room, "the books on mythology are over here."

Duo didn't answer her as he went to the shelf. Unlike the others it was almost bare. But sitting on it's own was a book that caught his eye. It was simply bound, in heavy linen, with none of the embossing that other books had. It was a rather unobtrusive black book, covered with dust. He wondered why it had attracted his attention until he lifted it and opened it to the frontispiece. "Cahier de la Morte." It said, and underneath it in another language, although sketched out in a different hand on the heavy vellum, "Hon no Sha." He was familiar enough with both languages to understand it. It was a Book of the Dead. It was also small enough to fit into a pocket or fold of his jacket, he smirked to himself, of all the things he had expected to find in the library, he hadn't expected a pocket sized Necronomicon.

Author's note

The Necronomicon is not just an example of my linguistic skills (or my multitude of foreign dictionaries.) Nowhere in Dathyl are there any Greek names and Necronomicon is a Greek word, but Japanese, French and Latin all appear so I needed to change the name. Besides Duo can speak both languages so it doesn't matter to him what language it's in, and it's easier to read French than Latin (Latin's incredibly subjective and most translations are guess work where French isn't) the book is important, but I just wanted to explain why I chose the name for it I did.

To the Aatorian's the book is like the Voynich manuscript, as in they have it, they know it's important but it's written in gobbledy-gook with notes around the side. But Duo does need it.

And I also apologise for Achren being a total bitch but I needed to sow that seed for something else to make sense.


	8. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 8

Wufei closed over his book to check the name, although the history that Kail had given him was fascinating it was incredibly dry and there was a lot of information to absorb. To add insult to injury it kept referring to other books he hadn't read. It obviously was not a book for the layman, it was a book for other scholars. It annoyed Wufei that he could know so much about his own world and so little about this one.

Checking the title again to make sure it was the one referenced by Sir Cameron, who he hoped he could meet at some point. He opened the book to the page it recommended. He had long since stopped making notes for Kail and was now enjoying his reading.

Of beauty so fine that stars burnt themselves to dust, woven of sea and of forest, Onestra arose in the bay of Amanitas, long lost to the south, in the fire of summer, born of mortal mother, and of divine seed. Her beauty ceased the waves in the shore, and caused the birds to sing in joy of her, and her mortal father took such pride in her beauty that he bought for her the finest fabrics that he could not afford, and his family became deep in debt. So the lord of Amanitas, Alaister, perceived of the beauty that grew so errant in his city purchased the debt. In exchange for the vast amounts that Onestra's father had accrued in debt Alaister asked only for the Fair Onestra as a concubine, for she was peasant not Pariako Sic. no modern word exists for this word and could not accede to rulership in Amanitas.

Yet Alaister was enchanted of Onestra's beauty and he gave her many gifts, one of which was preservation, and another that of song, so that she might sing to the birds who sang of her passing, but she was only mortal. The third of his gifts was the right to a champion, to protect her innocence for he only wanted to look on her.

Onestra was proud, for she had been preserved like her Pariako lord, and she had no wish for a mortal who might preserve her beauty so she made a sure boast, that all the men in Amanitas might come forth and prove their worth. They presented themselves to her seeking the honour of serving her beauty, and to them all she gave the same task, to bring her the head of a dragon. None returned.

Alaister was embarrassed at Onestra's pride and he extended the challenge to all the men of the free world, and from Atalantis, proud Northern twin of Amanitas, deep in the heart of the Termigent forest, and to that call one man came forth, greatest champion of Atalantis and he was named Menelaus.

And Menelaus, armed with only reports to Onestra's beauty and the sword at his side which he called Annuvin, he travelled across the land in search of a dragon for the honour of his lord Nathaniel. In the deep gorge of what is now Dathyl, far to the west Menelaus encountered his dragon and for forty days and for forty nights they did battle. Finally quelling his enemy Menelaus cut the head and wept. He wrapped the reptilian head in his cloak and on foot, for his mighty steed, Rae'etha, sic was slain by the beast, he walked to Amanitas which he had never seen.

The guards at the gate tried to bar him entry and laying down the broken sword Annuvin, broken in the dragon's craw, and the bundled head of the beast he called aloud "Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn" sic, ed. The Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn appears in many later texts and there is evidence to argue that this was his call. The Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn is a ranger tradition of one unarmed man against thirty armed men to the death. The guards took the challenge against the unkempt stranger. He killed to a man, then proving himself with a challenge thought impossible, he ascended unto the presence of Alaister, lord of Amanitas, to whom he presented the head of the dragon and thirty ears. "I have killed the dragon." He said. "And I have slain in unarmed combat thirty of your guards, am I not worthy to serve." And the lord Alaister praised Menelaus, having long thought that Onestra would never have a champion and he presented the knight, travel stained with blood and dust, and on removing her veil the heart of Menelaus melted and he swooned with love...

After years of service, in which time both Onestra and her knight were preserved, Menelaus was recalled unto the golden dome Atalantis and being loath to leave his lady he requested a boon from Lord Alaister, that he might take her to see the golden dome and the fountains of his forest home, and Lord Alaister could forbid Onestra nothing and so he allowed their passage…

Lord Nathaniel of Atalantis was enchanted by the veiled beauty of Onestra, and he seized her, locking her within the golden tower which overlooked the dome, and he sent word to Alaister that he would keep the mortal girl and he charged Menelaus as her gaoler. Menelaus was nothing before his Pariako lord, and he obeyed.

Alaister was enraged and he gathered up his Pariako hordes, sending word to Selestin of Akhenitas, that there could be no other answer but war. And he laid siege to Atlantis demanding the return of Onestra. Nathaniel refused him quarter and sent him the heads of the three Pariako messengers in a gold box carved with the sea crest of Amanitas. Thus it was war…

Late at night, perceiving, after ten years the fall of Atalantis against the combined hordes of Akhenitas and Amanitas, Nathaniel released Menelaus from his bonded fealty and urged him to take Onestra to safety, but there was no safety, as the gates fell in. And the first of the mortal soldiers of Akhenitas took the field to claim victory for his lord who gifted them steel, and he saw Onestra and he captured her and Menelaus, who had defeated Bav'ath'mordell'teraslyn, and who dropped the broken sword Annuvin in the dust beneath the feet of the mortal, and his name was Leander.

But the toll of the battle was great, both Nathaniel and Alaister lay dead, and Selestin wailed the loss of his kind, and took Onestra to Akhenitas, where the two men were bound in service to Selestin, last lord of the Pariako, and then the mortals rose up for now they had steel…

After years of fighting, in which time it amused Selestin to give Onestra's untasted beauty to Leander as a prize, for he asked for her, Akhenitas fell to the onslaught and Selestin's mortal concubines and his hybrid child, Draima, were spirited away…

In the battle Leander was struck by the masonry collapsed by the catapults and he died, and Onestra was beside herself for grief for Selestin who was dead, had given her to the soldier, and she walked out to the mortals, childless and ancient, but young still, and presented herself to them without all her wits, and she was wed to the lord of these people with her broken beauty. Menelaus laid down his broken sword, and climbed to the conservatory of Akhenitas, and anointed in the blood of the dragon, he took flight. (1)

He closed the book over and sighed, the abbreviation didn't seem to help any. The room was darkly uncomfortable, Quatre was sat at the window staring out over the city, the drug that they had given him for his headache had made him introspective and quiet. Trowa was in a strange position with a book on animals, he had looped his legs over the back of his chair and his head dangled off the seat as he looked at the pages that were lit by the fire. Heero and Duo had not spoken since Duo and Trowa had returned from the library. It seemed that Duo was still in a snit about being referred to as Heero's mission. Wufei didn't understand it, whilst he acknowledged that Duo was perfectly capable of looking after himself, and was a demon in a fight, he would have thought that he would like being the focus of Heero's mission.

He was glad that Sir Gereint had said that he would start their journey to Halcyon tomorrow. Trowa unfolded himself from the chair with a grace that Wufei knew that he would never manage. "It's getting dark." He said as he lit the lamps. "We should think about going to bed."

"Hmmhum," Duo mumbled into his book, "just let me finish my chapter." Since he returned from the library he had been fascinated by the small black book that he had found. Heero sat reading a book on battle tactics written by a famous Senshi.

"What are you reading?" Quatre asked, it was unusual for Duo to be so silent for so long, and to be engrossed in a book was another matter.

"A book." Duo answered quickly, but he didn't look up from his page. "A lot of it doesn't make sense but it will, when I'm older." He licked his lips and then turned the page. "I think it was written for me."

"Let me guess," Wufei said dryly, "it's a long list of things to do to irritate team-mates like mangling their names."

"No," Duo answered, "it's a book of spells."

"That's all we need." Wufei said in a dark tone, "Duo with magic."

"no," Duo said ignoring the jibe, "it's more complicated than that." He said, "it's to do with the dead."

"Raising the dead?" Trowa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Enough." Heero barked. "Duo, would you like me to draw you a bath before bed."

"You saying I smell, Ro?" He asked, closing the book over at last to look at the other pilot.

"Certainly not." Heero answered, "I merely thought you might sleep more peacefully after you had bathed."

"I'm sorry, Ro," Duo said lowering his eyes, "it's not your fault I'm in a snit." It was, and it wasn't. If Achren was right then Heero did love him, he just had no choice in the matter. He didn't want to force Heero into anything. They had been tricked into being married and both had been hesitant about taking anything further than a few chaste kisses and holding each other.

Duo wondered if he should take it further, to give himself to Heero, but at the same time if Heero didn't love him then he would just be demeaning himself.

"Do you have to think so loud?" Quatre asked sullenly, "I can hear you all the way over here."

Trowa glared at him, "how difficult is it to decide you want a bath?" He asked. "Come on, Quatre, we'll get you some more tea."

Duo lowered his eyes and muttered an apology. "It's okay, Ro," he said, "I don't want a bath right now, I'll have one in the morning."

He lifted his book and went into the small bedroom he shared with Heero. The other pilots had, laughing into their hands at the very concept, demanded that the married couple share a room. Before Duo hadn't minded, he had gotten used to sleeping with Heero, and it was remarkably calming to listen to him breathe, but Achren had planted a seed of doubt in him.

Duo didn't doubt how he felt about Heero, he was glad he was married to him, and nothing meant more to him than their quiet kisses, but what if she was right, what if by their very destiny tying them together they had no choice in the matter. What if, without Aatoria to bind them together, they would never have been together. Heero might have married Relena, if not for their fate. He might have been happy.

Suddenly, as he got ready for bed, Duo doubted whether or not he made Heero happy. Heero was there for him, but how often was he there for Heero? He knew Heero had risked his life for him when they had fled Dramathen, but had he ever risked his life for Heero?

Duo knew then that he hadn't been very fair to Heero at all.

Heero seemed to sense his doubt because he came up behind him, silent as an assassin, and wrapped his arms about him. "Wufei's wrong." He said, not understanding Duo's doubt but thinking it was about what Wufei had said, almost constantly since he discovered they were married. "You're not going to be the death of me."

Duo said nothing, instead a line from the book he was reading flashed through his head, "MÊME DANS LA MORT VOUS SEMBLEZ TOUJOURS TRISTE, AUCUNE ÉPÉE NE POURRAIT VOUS TUER MAIS EXTRAIRE POUR POSSÉDER, ET TOUS LES DEUX NOS COEURS SONT PERCÉS AINSI. JE VOUS AI EMBRASSÉ PENDANT QUE JE VOUS TUAIS, ET JE MEURS COMME CECI, JE SE SONT TUÉS POUR MOURIR SUR VOTRE BAISER. (2), he tested the words out again, murmuring them under his breath so that Heero could not hear them, or if he did, could not decipher what he said. I "_Even in death you still look sad, no sword could kill you but mine own, and both of our hearts are pierced thus. I kissed you as_ _I_ _killed you, and_ _I_ _die like this, I've killed myself to die upon your kiss."_ /I The book was explicit about that, the only way they could have peace, destined to misery as they were, was in death, if they killed the other.

Author's Note

1\. This is the legend of Onestra and Menelaus AKA the Akheniad in a much abbreviated form. It is important which is why I'm including it, I'll come back to it time and again. Menelaus was the window in Halcyon, the dragon slayer.

2\. I could not be bothered to work this out correctly, my French isn't up to it, so I did it in babelfish, so if it says sacrifice your young to Britney Spears I apologise, the translation is just underneath it. Alternatively if any of you speak better French than I do and want to translate the piece so it's not babelfished and makes sense I'll be more than happy to correct it.


	9. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Ribbon and the Ring 9?  
> Author: Seraphim Grace  
> Archive: http/ if you want it ask, I'll probably say yes. http/ http/ Always appreciated and replied to.  
> Rating: 18 (This is an open rating so I don't have to worry).  
> Pairings: 1x2  
> Warnings: Angst. Some gore.  
> Notes: AU, and features necromancy, very very very slight lemon this chapter.

Title: The Ribbon and the Ring 9?  
Author: Seraphim Grace  
Archive: http/ if you want it ask, I'll probably say yes. http/ http/ Always appreciated and replied to.  
Rating: 18 (This is an open rating so I don't have to worry).  
Pairings: 1x2  
Warnings: Angst. Some gore.  
Notes: AU, and features necromancy, very very very slight lemon this chapter.

The suite that Kail had given them was designed originally for travelling dignitaries from all over Aatoria and as such had several different levels of accommodation. There was what was obviously the master bedroom which had a vast feather bed with curtains and was heaped high with blankets and had a thick rich carpet on the floor. There was a room that was intended for higher levels of servants with two sturdy wide beds with a few less blankets and was far less comfortable, Quatre suggested that they were stuffed with straw. The third room was obviously for people you didn't like. The single bed was a cot with a lattice of leather straps and there were a few incredibly scratchy horse blankets. Surprisingly, despite being offered to share the middle room with Quatre and Trowa Wufei had refused and accepted the soldier's cot. Trowa and Wufei had, enjoying the turn of events that saw Duo at the butt of their jokes, had given the master bedroom to Heero and Duo.

Duo had never been so grateful. The bed was wide and comfortable and the heavy velvet curtains gave them a lot of privacy. Although Heero was by his very nature taciturn when they were alone he would speak with Duo at length. It made it harder for Duo to babble at him, as he might with the other pilots. There was something cleansing about being the focus of Heero's whole attention. It burned away the impurities. Duo liked the person Heero made him.

There was a small mirror in the room they had been given, it was nothing special, just a sheet of copper polished over and over until it reflected the room. Duo sat down in front of it and began to tug out the twists of his braid as he watched Heero get ready for bed. More than anything he wanted to cry, but he didn't. Boys don't cry, Sister Helen had told him that and he stuck by it. Boys don't cry.

As Heero pulled the simple smock over his head, not even bothering to undo the buttons and pull it on properly he looked over at Duo watching his reflection and smiled for him. It wasn't a grin, or even a smile that dominated his face, but his eyes lifted slightly, and the corners of his mouth. It was a private smile, and it was for him alone. None of the other pilots saw Heero like this, like he was when they were alone, he was soft and shy and protective. He made Duo feel special, which was something no one had ever really managed before.

When Heero turned all that perfect soldier attention towards him Duo felt special and he would destroy the world to keep that feeling forever. He just wasn't sure that he deserved it.

Heero came up behind him still wearing that perfect slight smile that made Duo's heart beat that little bit faster. "Here," he said in a way that he would never use in front of the other pilots, he lifted the brush that Duo had found in the tomb, "let me."

Duo remembered being very young, when his hair was worn loose and wild and kicking and screaming at Sister Helen when she tried to brush it. His hair was his and his alone. He had put more than one sweeper in the hospital for trying to cut it. He had given in to Primaverra in Halcyon simply because she had promised him she only wanted to style it, and she had known what she was doing. He wondered why he let Heero play with his hair at all. Heero had told him that the hair was a risk, but still seemed to get a strange amount of pleasure out of brushing it and running his fingers through it.

It was soothing for Duo as well, Heero always took such care never to pull on the inevitable tangles, and although he didn't' realise it, he hummed as he did it. Sister Helen had pinned him in place with her knees with hair pins in her mouth as she forced the brush through his hair, complaining about what he did to get so much rubbish in his hair.(1) He knew Heero would have just plucked it out and continued on his way.

Rather than pulling it into a braid he tugged it back into a pony tail at the back of his neck. Then looked at Duo in the mirror, pressing his cheek against Duo's and matching his breathing. "I am sorry, about earlier." He said quietly. Heero didn't waste words. "It was not my intention to upset you."

"S'alright," Duo said shrugging off the apology. "The mission is everything to you. I should appreciate that."

Heero lowered his eyes before he turned Duo around on his stool to face him, then he lifted the coal grey ribbon and the ring that hung from it. "I married you, didn't I," then laying a soft kiss on his head, the kind of kiss people never would have believed Heero capable of, Heero pulled back and smiled that sweet small smile again, "baka." He said.

"Ro," Duo said, still grasping for that feeling of being special, "what do you mean when you call me baka? I need to know. I need you to tell me."

Heero took both of Duo's hands within his own, "it is all the words I cannot say any other way." He said, "and it has the virtue that I can say it in front of the others and tell you how I feel without revealing myself to them. It is a word just for us. I did not even realise that I was not calling you an idiot until it was pointed out to me." He then pulled Duo into a tight embrace. "You are my baka," he said firmly into Duo's ear, "mine, my mission, mine."

Duo pulled back slowly and then pressed his mouth to Heero's hoping that in that way he could hide his tears. Boys don't cry, he repeated to himself, boys don't cry.

Normally when they kissed it was with the chastity of two small children, quickly pressing their lips against each other and pulling back with furtive blushes. Once Heero had dared to put his hand on Duo's arm. They were slowly learning to be intimate when their whole lives had demanded that they keep others away. Duo had made an effort to be tactile so that he could control what has happening within his personal space, but there was something about Heero's touch that didn't work like that. It affected him.

In swallowing back a sob Duo's mouth opened slightly pulling across Heero's lips, and without thinking Heero moved his mouth to take them back. Before he had time to react Heero's hands were on his shoulders pulling him closer. Heero smelt of all the good things in the world, like sunshine and musk and the sweet tang of cordite that lingered in his hair, which was coarser that Duo's own, and rough against the fingertips that hadn't realised that they had crept up to the back of his neck as Heero's mouth moved over his own. Heero smelt like the first rain on the fourth of July, and spring and he tasted of warmth and salt and fire. Before when they had kissed they had never tasted each other when they kissed, it was furtive and quick but this one lingered. This was how, Duo supposed, people kissed in the stories.

He made his decision then. His hand moved to the collar of the shirt Heero had been sleeping in and found the soft cotton covered button and quickly slipped it open.

"You don't have to do this," Eluneth said quietly.

"But I do." Duo answered. "It's all I have to give him."

"Fool." She said, "you already give him everything, this can wait." Duo clung to Heero more fiercely.

Heero seemed to sense his desperation because he pulled back panting. Then he looked at Duo and smiled, his fingers touching his lips where they were swollen from kissing. Then he leant forward and kissed him again.

"Leave us, Leney." Duo said trying to look at her over Heero's shoulder. "Please."

"Don't do this, Duo, it's too soon." She looked genuinely pained, "you don't want this yet." He had managed to undo three of Heero's buttons. He wished he could tell her that she was wrong, that he did want this, he did, he just didn't know what it was or what it meant. It had taken weeks to get this far with Heero, so that he'd kiss him without shame or remorse. "He'll wait for you." His hand slipped into the open collar of Heero's shirt and felt the hot skin against his palm. (2)

Heero jerked back from the unexpected touch like he had been shot. Then he smiled. "Come to bed, Duo." He said softly. "I do not want you to ever question how I feel about you." He took Duo's hand within in his own, marvelling at how small and frail it felt in comparison to his hand. It was like the porcelain hand of a doll nestled in a catcher's mitt. It wasn't that Duo's hands were necessarily small, they just were in comparison to his own. "We can discuss this on the way to Dathyl in the morning. Just stay with me."

Behind him Eluneth looked sombre and tired, "Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems," she said, Duo knew she was quoting, it had been one of Father Maxwell's favourite references and Duo knew it well. He just didn't know why she had chosen it, except maybe to remind him that he had very nearly gone too far. "You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions of suns left,) You shall no longer take things at second or third hand, nor look through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres in books, You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me, You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self. (3)"

Lying next to Heero in the soft feather bed Duo ran over the words that Eluneth had quoted, tasting their cadence in the places that still kept Heero's taste. He didn't expect to sleep and was surprised that he did.

Author's Note

I don't want Sister Helen to come across as mean but I went to Catholic schools until I went to university and I had really long (Duo length) hair and I swear the first hint of a problem with my braid one of them had me pinned to brush my hair. Nuns on the whole take no nonsense and can seem really cold, but they're like mean mums, you love them but you're scared witless and I think Sister Helen would be like that, domineering and demanding but kind, and a goodly force to have on your side, but that doesn't mean that she wouldn't have delivered a swift slap with the back of the hairbrush to make him stand still long enough to have his hair brushed.

I'm prepared to defend this chapter to the death, it would so easily have become a complete shagathon, we have two boys who are probably a writhing mess of hormones but who really would have no idea how to go about it. Duo is trying to seduce Heero to give him something back for all that he thinks that he is taking and Heero is just amazed that someone would do something so good to him. (Heero's physical interactions before this time haven't been good.)

From Walt Whitman's Song of Myself.


	10. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 10

Duo was woken to the sound of Gereint raising hell as he screamed at Kail about locking them into their suite. In fact it sounded like Gereint was even more annoyed by it than they had been. There was talk of them being guests not prisoners of war and then the rest of it was drowned out by Trowa's chuckling as he mixed up the tea for Quatre.

"I had a dream last night." Quatre said a propos of nothing, he just looked at Duo and said it. His eyes still maintained their inability to properly focus. "It was strange, but you were in it, and you," he looked at Heero, "and you," his strange gaze fell on Trowa, "and everything was still, frozen, like someone had pushed pause and there was water everywhere, and I thought I would drown and then I realised I could breathe underwater and my wrists were bleeding but I wasn't bleeding out, and then there was this big serpent and I thought it was going to eat me but it didn't, it just turned on itself and swallowed it's own tail, and then the world cracked open to drain the water and the blood and Duo, the ends of your hair were stained red." He blinked furiously then in a completely different tone of voice said, "there is war coming we must be prepared," and fainted.

"Trowa," Wufei said as he arranged Quatre on the chair, "I think he's had enough of that tea."

Trowa looked at the clear concoction in the cup. "I don't know, Sir Gereint said to make him drink it until we reached Dathyl to control the headaches."

Sir Gereint opened the door, "good morning, boys, I hope you're ready to travel to Dathyl, despite your recent captivity." He gave a dirty look over his shoulder at Kail, "there's a wagon downstairs if any of you can't ride." Heero looked at Duo innocently but Gereint was looking at Quatre who was propped up in his chair. "So if you've eaten we can make a start and spend the week we're travelling talking about the fact that Kail was an ass locking you up." He walked in and picked up Quatre as easily as if he was a doll.

"Sir Gereint." Cedric said running up to him, "there's this really strange woman in the courtyard, she's asking to speak to Lord Duo, and she's got this really scary dog. What do you want me to do?"

Gereint rolled his eyes, "what did she ask for, specifically?" Gereint said as he led them through the spiralling corridors to the courtyard.

"She said she was here to speak to Lord Shinigami no Duo-Tennosha, and I remember that Duo said that he was the Tennosha and she said she had come a long way to be here but that big dog of hers went for Sir Kail."

Gereint laughed. "I think that we should buy the girl dinner just for that. Now did she gave a name?"

"Aia," Cedric said, "she's really pretty, and she's dressed really nice, not like she came a long way at all, she said her name was Shiko-me no Aia."

Duo stopped causing Trowa to bump into him. "Watch it." Wufei snarled as he bumped into Trowa. Heero turned back. "Are you all right, Duo?" He asked.

"Shiko-me." Duo said quietly, shocked to his core.

"A homely woman?" Trowa asked, "now why would someone be startled by that, and Cedric said she was really pretty." He stopped, "how bad must his taste be."

"No," Duo said, "the Shiko-me are female monsters. I am told by the Dead that they are supposed to serve me." He sounded afraid and Heero reached out to take his hand, "what if she's like the Ningyo?"

Gereint had gone on ahead now trusting that they would follow, "what are the Ningyo?"

"Animated corpses," Heero said bluntly, "with their hands cut off and long blades incised into their forearms in their place, their feet are encased in lead to stop them ripping them off as they lumber. There are bands of copper over their eyes bound so tight that they give them lobotomies." Both Trowa and Wufei looked at Heero, they expected that kind of story from Duo but not from Heero. "They are terrible killing machines, pray you never see them." He was resolved, "they frightened me." He looked at Duo again, tightening his grip on his hand, "I will not let her hurt you."

Wufei decided to scoff but there was something about it that made it sound forced.

The sun was beaming in the courtyard and it was a nice hot day. The wagon that Gereint had arranged had a wide base and a wooden cover, all manner of cooking utensils were hung from it's exterior, and it was darkly painted, obviously in a way to discourage bandits. Gereint settled Quatre inside on a thickly folded quilt making sure that he was facing the road and was secure as a small thin woman with dark brown hair and a dog, who was easily as large as she was, approached the rest of them. "Excuse me," she asked Wufei who was startled by it, "are you the Shinigami?" Her voice was remarkably ordinary and there was nothing strange about her accent, it was perfectly neutral. The only odd thing about her was her manner of dress and the fact that there appeared to be a metallic sheen to her pupils. Her dress was made of a rich dark green fabric, that might have been linen, tied tight with a white ribbon under the bosom, and long trailing white ribbons fell along each arm. A silver chain was threaded around her temples and through the parting of her hair. It was the only jewellery she wore. "I'm supposed to present myself to the Shinigami." It was also patently obvious that she was very young, perhaps no older than they were.

"Onna," Wufei muttered and wandered off.

Without lowering Heero's hand Duo walked across to her, "I am the Shinigami." He said but he was afraid to meet her eyes.

The girl beamed. "I'm Aia." She exulted, "the Tallest sent me, I have travelled all the way from the City to find you, with Third Son of the Fifth Litter to protect me, they said I would meet you here and if I missed you I was to try Halcyon, and if not there then Meirin, but I am so glad I caught you here, Halcyon's so far away and well I'd have to double back to get to Meirin and none but the Tallest have ever seen it."

"Why are you here?" Heero asked, his hand was on the hilt of the sword on his hip.

"The Tallest sent me." She said, looking at Heero, "I am to protect the Shinigami and guide the Shinigami and to be his bed slave." The dog cocked a single ear as Heero started a growl with his glare. "No that's not right, I'm sorry." She looked genuinely disheartened, "this language is new to me, I am to protect you and guide you, for the Tallest, and to be your bath slave." Heero didn't seem to like that any more and had loosened the sword in it's sheathe. "Oh, poo." She said.

Trowa, who was finding this quite funny, decided to rescue her, possibly in the hope that her answer would be quite amusing, "what is it you're meant to do for the Shinigami?"

"I am to help him dress and to help with his hair and his toilet and keep his chambers clean and to prevent anyone hurting him before the chosen time. So said the Tallest." Heero loosened his death grip on the hilt of his sword.

"You're to be his lady's maid." Trowa said helpfully. "It looks like the Senshisha can let you live then."

Heero answered him rather succinctly with a hn.

"And this is Third Son of the Fifth Litter," she said pointing to the dog, "the Tallest thought that he would help defend you until the chosen time."

Heero looked at the dog, the dog looked back, his golden eyes were measuring. They appeared to reach some form of understanding because Heero hned at the dog.

Duo on the other hand decided to glomp the animal. "I always wanted a dog." He said throwing his arms around it's neck. It didn't seem to bother him in any way that the dog was almost as big as the horses, and spooked them. He decided that it was his favourite puppy. The dog looked at Heero as if asking for help, Heero just shrugged. "I'll have to think of a name for you, something suitably fierce, like Rover, or Fido." The dog's lip curled at that.

"He understands you." Trowa said, but not daring to scratch the rather fierce looking dog between the ears whilst Duo was burying his face into it's fur and his hands were everywhere stroking and scratching the animal. "And he doesn't like those names."

"Fenrir," Wufei said from atop a black horse he was having to hold still with his thighs as it circled around the dog. "It's the wolf that will swallow the sun at the end of the world." He explained, "It's a fitting name for such an animal, it's the name of a warrior."

"Fenrir," Duo said looking at the animal, "do you like the name Fenrir?" The dog raised a paw. "Well then, Fen-Fen, shall we get going, there's a good puppy, shall we get into the wagon with me and Quatre and I'll get you treats and fuss you and."

Fenrir whimpered and looked at Heero as if he could save him. Heero didn't answer him but Trowa was glad his bang covered his smirk.

"So you're coming with us." Gereint said to Aia.

"If you don't mind." She answered outstretching her hand to shake his, "I'll just walk alongside you, horses don't like me much."

"Nonsense." Gereint said, "into the wagon, there's plenty of room between the books and the pottery. The more the merrier." He didn't sound in any way sarcastic. "But I have to ask," he looked into her strangely metallic eyes, "how did you train the wolf?"

Heero looked at the massive animal that Duo was now pestering, he supposed that Gereint would have more experience in recognising such an animal as a wolf, they were extinct in his own world. Aia had shrugged off the question with a smile and a shrug and the wolf seemed more determined to live through Duo's ministrations than mauling him so Heero decided to keep his questions for Aia for later.

Duo, to make the long trip seem shorter, possibly, or just to see just how far he could push Wufei until he snapped, was singing, loudly.

"_The women of Tanis are bonny and gay_

_And you can't trust a word a Sidin woman says_

_And overall I'll take what I may,_

_But you can't beat a woman of Dathyl"_

Wufei's eye was twitching but he wasn't doing anything, even though it was clear that under the huge wolf, that he was currently using as a comforter, that Duo was laughing his head off. Heero thought that this was adorable. There was a lot of little things that Duo did that Heero had recently found adorable. Yet despite his urge to giggle at Wufei's twitching eye he remained resolute, in front of Duo alone he would have broken down and laughed out loud, but not in front of the other pilots.

"_There's a woman in Danev who has eyes that are deep_

_And a girl in Caelum who without me won't sleep_

_And the women of Muchine well they play for keeps,_

_But you can't beat the women of Dathyl."_

"Enough!" Wufei roared, "with the tales of your licentious onna! This is the fifth time, Maxwell, that you have told us about these accursed onna. Sing one more line and I will strangle you with your own lower intestine." The wolf who had been sprawled over Duo's legs raised his head to look at him and growled.

"Good Fen-Fen." Duo said glomping the animal again, throwing his arms around it's neck, the animal looked distraught. "You won't let the nasty Fei-Fei hurt me, will you, Fen-Fen?" Heero noticed Fenrir, with a noted look of distress, lower his head in defeat. "Now, where was I?"

"Duo," Gereint said patiently, "before Wufei's eye explodes, can you sing something else?" Although he didn't look quite as irate as Wufei it was obvious even he was tired of the song.

"Sure thing, boss." Duo said and looked at Quatre who was still prostate where they had laid him, but now with his head cast back and snoring loudly. "_One little, two little, three idiots, four little, five little, six little idiots, seven little, eight little, nine little idiots, all joined up because…"_

Wufei had heard this song before because he spurred his horse on ahead.

Duo continued regardless, bellowing it out at the top of his lungs, "_one little, two little, three little idiots, four little, five little, six little idiots, seven little, eight little, nine little idiots, all signed up for Oz. One little, two little, three little Ozzies, four little, five little, six little Ozzies, seven little, eight little, nine little Ozzies, all in a suit and tie, One little, two little, three little Ozzies, four little, five little, six little Ozzies, seven little, eight little, nine little Ozzies, all dressed up to die."_

"Shinigami," Aia said from where she was sat with her legs pressed to her chest behind Quatre, "That song, although charming, is really quite annoying," she licked her lips, "perhaps you can tell me the story behind it."

Duo looked at her and then launched into an excited retell of the war and his role in it that mostly featured explosions and Fenrir burying his muzzle in his paws. It did however, Heero noted, stop the singing. He decided that he and Fenrir may have had an understanding about protecting Duo, even if it was from himself, Aia had successfully distracted him from a song that annoyed Heero as much as Oz and had thus included herself in his exclusive do not kill unless there are exigent circumstances list. The only person who Heero would never kill, was Duo.

Author's Note

Shikome is the Japanese word for homely woman, hence Trowa's odd joke but Shiko-me are the insect female demons that appear in manga.

Fenrir is the wolf that during Ragnarok will swallow the sun. I thought Third Son of the Fifth Litter would like it.


	11. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 11

The journey from Sidi to Dathyl was long and boring. After several days even Duo's boundless enthusiasm had settled into quiet contemplation. He would sit beside Gereint on the wide seat of the wagon with Fenrir loping beside and ask questions about the world they found themselves in. Gereint wasn't a good source of information because he was doubted everything but when they pulled in for the night he would tell them tall tales that he said passed for history. He told them of the White and the Red, the two fallen vanguards who had built and then destroyed a kingdom. He told them of what was known as the draima wars, in which three witches toppled the empire - of course he didn't believe that they were witches.

Perhaps the third, or fourth night, Trowa was finding it hard to keep track, Gereint told them of the creation of the world and the four gods. The fire was low and his voice soft and slightly scornful but there was something in the tale he told that kept them all, except Quatre who was sleeping in the wagon, completely entranced over their light supper.

Often the stories Gereint told, to amuse them rather than educate, contradicted themselves but this one did not.

"In the beginning," Gereint said, "there was the god-void, then there was the word and it became god and the void. Born in that moment came the four gods, Acuya goddess of sun and her twin Aileron, Nosian, the horse that carried the golden carriage of Acuya across the sky and their dark brother Atua'a. Each was equal and gifted with great beauty and power but proud and Aileron, god of sea and sky went to war with his golden sister of fire and sun. They each created a race of warriors, Aileron gave birth to the fifty one naiads destined to judge the faithless and Acuya created man. Atua'a wanting nothing of their petty war stepped apart from it and Nosian stirred the fire between them until the naiads went mad with the lust for blood and turned on Aileron, casting him across the sky to form the stars.

"The lament was great for their lost brother," Gereint continued, "and they swore never to war within themselves again, Atua'a took in the naiads, who could not be destroyed and the souls of those who fell in the war and took them to a great city under the Forest where he created the underworld."

Duo didn't really pay attention to Gereint, the worn book he had found in Sidi had it's own answers and he trusted them better.

"_Acuya,"_ it said _"is_ _the_ _woman of the sun, the golden beauty of the morning; the life-giver and the absolver of sins. Her symbol_ _is_ _the wolf and_ _the punishment for heresy in her name_ _is_ _immolation._

"_Aileron_ _is_ _the god of the sea, the second son of the morning, torn apart by a jealous woman and the golden shards of his frame thrown across the sky to form the stars. Shooting stars are said to be his tears. Sailors still give offerings in his name for safe passage. His symbol_ _is_ _the dolphin._

"_Atua'a_ _is_ _the god_ _of the dead and the underworld. He judges the dying and condemns them either to the nine spirals of the city of Dis or the three circles beyond it, Mhoanderath-_ _home of the virtuous, Vireath-_ _for those who never exceeded their own expectations, and Ninieath-_ _the sea of no sensation for those who were cowardly or cruel. He is the commander of the San Hikari and the Naiads._ _His highpriestess is the Tennosha who is blood of his blood._

_Nosian is the horse god who carries the sun across the sky and the dead to Atua'a. He is the god of war, fermented horse blood, called bloodwine,_ _is drunk in his name."_

The San Hikari, or the three aspects of death were described thus, "_Arissa,_ _the god of the willing death or suicide, Meror, the god of the lingering death or the sickbed, and Erik, god_ _of the violent death or murder_." Each was given a short history.

"Arissa was the wife of Atua'a who was taken from mortality by Nosian and carried to the underworld where she was beloved of a mysterious masked stranger. Missing her family she asked her lover to bring them to her, he did, but counselled her to harden their heart against what they would say, that they would lie to her about him. She ignored his warning and when her family saw her good fortune they became bitter and twisted her heart against him. They said that he must be deformed or ugly to wear a mask and eventually she came to believe them. So she took a hooded lantern to where he slept and removed his mask, seeing his beauty she kissed him. _Atua'a woke in a terrible rage and slew the family of Arissa,_ _and before he could calm himself she took the_ _knife_ _from his belt and plunged it into her own heart. Atua'a used everything in his power to bring her back to life and kissed her on her forehead, her eyelids and the tip of her nose. His power changed her,_ _raising_ _her but she was no longer mortal, the knife she held became fused to her hand and she took on the role of visiting the bereft and the lonely to judge them worthy of suicide._ _She is said to appear in current fashion and in red._ _Her symbol is the blade._

"_Meror is the god of the sickbed or lingering death. His origin is unknown but it is supposed that he is andain, or a demigod. He visits the sickbeds to bring relief after long periods of illness. Unlike Arissa or Erik he is_ _welcomed. He always appears_ _hooded_ _and carrying a censer, he leaves behind a stench of corruption. His symbol is the censer._

"_Erik is the god of the battlefield or violent death. His story, like that or Arissa, is well known. He was the lover of Eustacia, the fifty-first naiad. This was a divided love for she also loved another. On hearing from Erik of the other's death she killed herself. As punishment for his sin he was given the red sword of war and charge of the Wild Hunt. It is said that on the death of_ _a great love or warrior his horn can be heard. The_ _Wild Hunt is said to haunt battlefields. He is the god seen most often. His symbol is the red sword._

"_The Naiads are the fifty one daughters of Acuya and Aileron, the guardians of justice who punish the unworthy. They are golden maidens without compassion who wear scarlet armour and_ _their_ _limbs can become weapons._ _They_ _ride winged horses across the sky and live in the city of Dis. It is said that they respect only military strength and for the correct warrior they will waken from their enforced slumber to destroy the world. The only known representation of them is in the murals of Aviemore._

"_The pagan gods who are lost were thus, Lethe, the twin of Mnemosyne. She is the ancient goddess of oblivion,_ _and the guardian of mount Helicon of the muses._ _Her_ _worship was typified by the consumption of opium. Her priests wore green._

"_Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory and the mtoher of the muses, the twin patron of art with Lethe. Her worship was typified by the consumption of iocaine. In the icons of the twins,_ _in Aviemore,_ _she is shown to cower behind her sister. Her priestesses wore red._

"_The_ _last is Selene, the goddess of beauty. Nothing is known about her except for a rare reference in the Akheniad in which Lysander compares Onestra to Selene, the goddess of beauty._

"_Also to be considered are the_ _Kindly Ones_." Duo closed the book.

On the inside of the cover there was a strange inscription "le dieu de la mort est le sang de mon sang." The god of death is the blood of my blood. He wondered if he should ask Gereint about it, but decided against it.


	12. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 12

The tower of Gwen Ystrat was like nothing that Duo had ever seen. The tower of Meirin was a lady's wrist risen from the grey granite of the town, but the Termigent forest, which had claimed the forest centuries before, showed a white spar like a tooth. It was as perfect as the day it was finished. "The tower of Gwen Ystrat." Gereint said quietly. "Prison to the Red, we'll camp here tonight."

"Who were the Red?" Wufei asked as he swung down from his horse. His thighs were growing sore from the long days of monotonous riding and he was tired and cranky.

"The red vanguard." Cedric said, "they raised an army and destroyed a kingdom, eventually the Garvem who feared them rose up, and rather than make them martyrs trapped them here and left them to die. It was before the tower was swallowed by the forest."

"Beware, Tennosha." Achren whispered in Duo's ear. "The Red hunger." Duo waved his hand at his ear as if swatting a fly.

"The river pools here." Gereint said, "you might want to take a bath whilst you have the opportunity. Aia, don't go too far." He lowered his head in his hands and took a deep sigh. "And Dog," he insisted on calling Fenrir Dog despite the fact that it really was obviously a wolf, "some fresh meat would be really appreciated." Fenrir cocked an ear and then looked at Duo who nodded, before loping off into the undergrowth beside the road.

"How did you know he would do that?" Trowa asked.

"Call it a hunch," Gereint answered expansively.

"Where's the water?" Heero asked, he had long since come to the conclusion that he stunk of horse, Duo who had been in the wagon was considerably fresher and it offended him to curl up beside him. He could imagine in the darkness Duo's nostril's twitching.

"Just past those trees, don't go off on your own." Gereint said, "Acuya, I sound like my father." He snorted. He started to build a fire. "I suggest you go off in twos."

"Come along, Duo," Heero said holding out his hand.

"Are you saying I smell?" Duo asked with a laugh.

"I cannot tell," Heero said, "my own stench overpowers my sense of smell."

Duo smiled at his joke and then took Heero's hand within his own as behind them Trowa clasped his hands to his heart and pretended to swoon. "Bite me." Duo told him.

"Where?" Trowa asked with a cocksure grin, "do I get to choose?"

"Surely that's Yuy's prerogative." Wufei answered slyly. Trowa choked back a laugh.

Duo just smiled, "someone's just jealous." He said, "after all Mei Lan never let him."

Wufei's face turned frosty and then sank into a kind of sadness Duo had never seen before. "I'm sorry, Fei, that was below the belt." He said quickly, "it came out worse than I intended. I'm sorry."

"Speak of her again in such a manner and I shall cut out your tongue, make what aspersions on my character that you wish, but do not talk so of her." Wufei growled out.

"Threaten him again and I will kill you." Heero snarled out.

"Yadda yadda," Duo said, "there you go again, Ro, threatening to kill everyone, and you never do, I mean there's that Pieceofcrap chick finding cliffs to shout your name from and compromising your cover with that distinctive squeal and though you keep promising to kill her, you never do." He patted him on the shoulder, "don't worry, Fei, he won't kill you, and I am sorry," Duo had successfully diffused the situation although Trowa had taken a step back. If there was one fight he did not want to be caught in it would be Wufei and Heero, simply because although he didn't doubt Heero would win he knew Wufei would go down fighting and anyone caught in the middle would just get trampled.

The pools were small but clear with overhanging willows that draped into the water. It was quite a picturesque setting. The summer breeze was warm and soothing on his skin as Heero pulled the jacket from his shoulders.

"Phew," Duo said, "You weren't kidding about the smell, were you, lover?" He leaned forward, "you stink like week old horse."

"And you are lemon and soap fresh?" Heero asked as Duo undid the ties around his waist to step into the water. He leant in and pressed his face the length of Duo's face and up against his ear, like an animal scenting him, "I must say that you do not smell like a field of daisies." He reached behind Duo as he undressed, unbinding his braid. "A pity that you do not smell as lovely as you look to me."

Duo lowered his eyes. "Beware the Red, Tennosha, they hunger." Achren repeated in his ear and for the second time he waved her away like an annoying bug. He had more important things on his mind, this was the first time he had been alone with Heero since they had left Sidi a week before.

They waded into the hip deep water wearing only their undergarments, although they had both seen the other naked it had before the change in their relationship and now both were wary of what before had been commonplace. As he stepped forward Duo tripped on an underwater branch and with a clumsy laugh fell forward unto Heero, pressing their lips together. It was a swift kiss, quickly over, but Heero pulled his arms up and dropping the soap into the water held Duo instead.

"As courtships go," Wufei said to Trowa over the firepit, "theirs is clumsy indeed."

"it's just so out of the blue." Trowa conceded, stirring the polenta in the pot with a stick, "I mean they're hardly the most obvious couple."

"I think they're sweet." Aia said quietly, "they obviously care a great deal for each other."

"Onna," Wufei mumbled, "they find the strangest things sweet, they are both trained killers, if they fall out then there will be problems within the team."

"You don't understand," Aia said offering Wufei a winning smile, "they are Tennosha and Senshisha, it's destiny. They can't help it, and they make each other happy."

"They make each other crazy." Trowa corrected. "They're like chalk and cheese, and neither know what they're doing. I've met tanuki with more sexual instincts than the pair of them put together."

"Which is good." Gereint said calmly, "because I don't care what you've done or seen, you're babies. You're no older than the prince and I changed his diapers. If people his age are having sex then I'm old."

"You can't be old, Gereint," Aia said brightly, "what are you, thirty, thirty five human years?"

Gereint mumbled an answer.

"Forty," she exclaimed, "why you're positively decrepit, why we'll be digging your grave soon." It was charmingly sarcastic. It also made her look very young. She stood up and stretched, making sure her green dress was tight across her curves, "I need to go relieve myself," she said, "I shouldn't be long."

In his arms Duo felt very warm and soft. Heero could feel his heart beating where they were pressed together, like the mad flapping of a butterfly. Although Duo was a soldier, and he knew how deadly he could be, when they stood like this, Duo felt incredibly vulnerable to him, as if he would shatter if he pressed too hard. Nevertheless he wanted to crush Duo into him, as if, if he pressed hard enough, they would become one being and he wouldn't have to worry about him being hurt, or lost, or without him.

"If I could," Duo whispered, "right now, I would swallow you whole." The words were hot against Heero's ear. His hand was tracing strange designs on his chest, playing against his pectoral with the rough edges of his pectorals as their lips slipped and slid against each other.

Wufei looked up at the sky. "Where is that girl?" He asked, Cedric looked at Gereint who looked at Trowa. "She's been gone some time."

"Okay," Trowa sighed, rolling his eyes as he stood up and lifted his crossbow. "I'll go look for her."

In the water Heero began to notice something strange with Duo when the tip of his tongue pressed against his lips. Duo had never done that before, and Heero was only vaguely aware that people would even want to do that. "Kiss me, lover," Duo crowed in his ear and the hand that had made the arcane designs on his chest fell lower, pressing for a moment against his stomach before dipping below the water and running itself along the line of his cock which was stirring to Duo's touch.

Heero jerked back like he had seen a snake. "I, what, I." He stammered.

"Don't you want this, lover?" Duo asked, "don't you want me?" He ran those maddening fingertips the length of his own chest and smiled a rather vulpine smile, "I'll make it so sweet, lover, as sweet as candy."

"You're not Duo," Heero said batting away the hand as it reached for him. "He wouldn't do this, he doesn't call me that."

"Of course not," Duo said tilting his head, "call me Verdande."

Aia looked at Trowa who looked back, she had gotten herself caught in a rabbit snare and was now dangling from her ankle from a tree. He wondered whether it was politic to laugh as she hung there pulling her skirt down so it came to her knees at the front. "It's not funny." She said but it clearly was. "Will you please cut me down?"

"What have we here?" A man said from behind Trowa, "it looks like we caught ourselves a rabbit and a fox."

Trowa sighed, "you've seen me now," he said, turning around and raising the crossbow, Heavyarms, he fired three shots off in quick succession, killing the three men that had followed them into the glade, "I'll have to kill you." Then he turned back and shot through the rope that held Aia upside down from the tree.

"You saved me." She said and then dived to hold him, "Thank you, thank you, I didn't think you would, I mean you could have just left me to them, and you didn't."

Trowa frowned under his bang. "Come on," he said, "before Gereint gets worried."

She nodded and wrapped her arms about his elbow, determined not to let him go.

Heero burst into the camp wearing only his loin cloth with a similarly undressed Duo in his arms, "There is something wrong with Duo," he said laying him out. Duo's body was jerking and twisting in his arms, and he was mouthing a word that might have been tasukete. "He was acting strange and then he said to call him something strange and then he started fitting and."

Gereint reached into his pouch and stirred some herbs into the tea he was brewing, "hold him still, let's get this into him, it will help him sleep until we reach Dathyl the day after tomorrow."

"It will not hurt him." Heero pressed.

"No," Gereint said, "it is the same tea I gave your friend, it will just put him to sleep until we can find out what's wrong."

"He's possessed." Aia blurted out from where she had draped herself over Trowa. "One of the wicked spirits has taken him over."

"Superstitious onna." Wufei muttered, "there is no such thing. It is probably something much simpler, like epilepsy."

Without saying anything Gereint added cold water to the tea to cool it, and then carefully poured it into Duo's mouth, "swallow for me, son, come on, drink this down, it will make it all better."

Duo choked one and then swallowed down the sweet red tea. "Ro," he mumbled tiredly, "I'm sorry."

"Shush," Heero said, picking him up and wrapping him in the cloak beside the fire. "It is all right, shush, rest now."

"Take him inside the wagon." Gereint said, "I'd be happier if he bedded down in there tonight."

Heero nodded, "Chang, could you please fetch our clothes? I left them beside the water, I did not stop to collect them in my panic."

Wufei went to ask him why he couldn't get them himself, but saw the delicate way that Heero lifted Duo to carry him to the wagon, and then looked at Trowa. "I'll be back in a moment, save me some supper."

In the wagon Quatre was leant against a bag of grain and snoring happily as Heero laid Duo down carefully, "I'm sorry," Duo murmured again, "I'm so sorry."

"There is nothing to apologise for." Heero told him brushing aside the strands of wet hair from his face. His large eyes were set in deep hollows and his skin looked bruised.

"Tell me you liked it." Duo murmured sleepily as his eyes drifted closed.

Leaning down he laid a kiss on his forehead, each of his closed eyelids and then on the tip of his nose, "baka," he said softly and then he watched over him all night.

_Author's Note:_

_A lot of the dialogue between the characters from here on in could be construed as rather vindictive but it's teasing, it's a particularly British habit to "take the piss" in this fashion.._


	13. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 13

The palace of Halcyon stood overlooking the city of Dathyl like a sentinel or a zealous aunt. It cast an imposing shadow over the city where it reared at the top of the cliff with the city spread out like a napkin below it. Nevertheless as frightening as the castle could look, for it had taken on a blackness that he did not remember, Heero was fond of the palace with its labyrinthine passages and skyways. It was in that palace that he had first realised that he had loved Duo. It was among those labyrinthine passages and skyways that he had known Mina who had guided him into accepting what his heart had already known.

There were two places in this world that he cherished, almost against his will, Halcyon where he had admitted that he loved Duo, and the Dairai of Dramathen where Duo admitted that he loved him.

The other places they had been, the manor of E'berta, the house in the shadow of the Dramathen Tor, Samrath and Meirin he remembered with a darkness that did not suit them, and nor was their fault.

Things would be solved at Halcyon, he resolved, for good or for ill.

Danan D'Karioni waited in Halcyon, and once he was dead, Duo would truly begin to live again.

He had been quiet since they had left the shadow of Gwen Ystrat two days previous. He had refused any more of the tea, which when questioned by Wufei Gereint had explained contained iocaine, to stop the voices, and poppies, to help him sleep. Heero realised it was no wonder that Quatre was behaving so strangely on such a concoction. Duo had simply said that it had given him bad dreams.

Whatever Duo had fallen afoul of in Gwen Ystrat he had not suffered from again, but nor would he talk about it.

Heero understood that sometimes things were best forgotten and did not press the subject, but he resolved, that if he got Gereint alone, he would ask him the meaning of the name that Duo had given before his fit, Verdande.

The guilt of letting Mina die, as they had watched, was eating away at Duo. They would kill her murderer, they would chop off his head and cut out his heart as he had done to her, and then Duo would let her ghost rest.

When they had returned to the Peacemillion Heero had looked up the unfamiliar word Halcyon to discover it meant a golden time, or a place of peace and prosperity, and in his mind, as he plotted over and over the murder of Danan D'Karioni it had taken on that quality.

It would be bloody and it would be slow. Duo had sworn to eat the still beating heart of the man, and Heero knew that that was an exaggeration, but he wanted him dead, and he wanted him to suffer, and if it lessened just one iota of the pain in Duo's eyes Heero would do it a thousand times over.

"Is that the palace?" Trowa asked from beside him.

"That is Halcyon." Heero answered adroitly. He didn't want Trowa to understand what was going through his head; they teased Duo enough for being with Heero, but more in a friendly fraternal way that just seemed cruel. He just didn't want to give him any more ammunition, even if it was only teasing.

"It looks more like the wicked fairy's castle." He commented. "Hey, Wufei, you never said you went into exterior decorating." He called back over his shoulder, Wufei just scowled at him, "anybody would think they'd designed it for Lady Colonel Une." Then he smiled under his bang, "I can half see her leaving by the tower window on her broomstick any minute now."

"It was built for a witch." Gereint said quietly. "Setsuna, the third and last wife of Imperator, was a witch. She was a lady of Meirin."

Heero punched him. Hard.

Gereint blinked in shock. "The Ladies of Meirin were not witches." Heero told him and then reining in his horse and pushed it to the city gates.

Wufei just looked between him and Gereint and blinked in shock, it was not like Heero to act out like that. Trowa just sniggered. "Word to the wise," he said, "don't piss off Heero."

"Never get between Heero and a mission." Wufei said quietly. "He is Senshisha now, which means he protects the ladies of Meirin."

"But I meant no harm by it." Gereint said as he rubbed his jaw and watched the retreating back of Heero as he rode into the city.

"Nevertheless," Trowa said, "You just called Duo a witch."

Dathyl was a port city separated by the outside world by a long narrow bridge paved with cobbles. "I think I'm going to be sick." Duo told Aia as they rocked and rolled in the wagon towards the city.

"Head out of the wagon then, mister." She answered calmly, "I don't care if it's only another half hour up to the palace. I am not riding in a wagon that stinks of Duo vomit."

Fenrir raised his head to look at her.

"I don't care," she told him as if she was answering something he said, "besides Trowa will protect me from the nasty Duo vomit monsters, like he protected me from the demon slayers in the woods." She raised her chin but Duo could see the small smile playing on the corners of her mouth as she struggled not to laugh.

"The demon slayers who interrupted his peeing." Duo corrected, "and nothing annoys a man more than when he's exposed himself to armed men, what was it you told me he said, you've seen me, now I must kill you.'"

"He wasn't peeing." Aia protested. "He'd come to rescue me."

"Straight after emptying his bladder, he wasn't to know that you were hanging by your ankle from a tree." Duo told her.

"It's not funny." She argued. "They were going to take me to the system lords, and if I couldn't transform I would have been sold as a slave."

"But you're my slave." Duo said crossing his arms across his chest in mock outrage, "I would have had to go to the system lords and explain that carefully." Not that Duo knew what the system lords were, but the conversation distracted him from the roiling of the carriage on the cobbles of the bridge.

Gereint rode up to the two guards who stood at the imposing gate of the palace, Heero noticed, with a comfortable air. He named them both before waving them all in. Before it had been incredibly difficult to get into the palace, the walls were swarming with guards, "hey," one of them called out to Trowa, "you promise not to kill the prince." It must have been a joke because they both laughed.

Heero raised himself up on his saddle. "I am the Senshisha," he said in a crisp clear tone, "and I do not care that my associates be talked to in such a manner. Trowa, flog him, fifty lashes." It was all the more terrible because his tone was even and cold without fluctuation.

Trowa blinked for a moment and then reached down to unhook the whip on his saddle.

"My apologies, my lord." The guard had gone from cocky to terrified in moments, "I meant no disrespect, I," he lowered his head.

"Report to your senior officer." Gereint said, "tell him that you have offended one of the higher blood, tell him what you said and the punishment that was prescribed." It was a soldier's bark. "And that I want more than two guards on the palace, do you understand me, soldier?"

"Sir, yes, sir." The soldier answered with a quick salute before he ran off down the hill.

"That was unexpected." Wufei said, adjusting himself on his horse as they moved into the central courtyard of the palace.

"Not really," Heero said, "they are soldiers. There is a chain of command. I outrank them. I did not care for their tone and knew that Gereint would send the man to his commanding officer. I wanted him to fear me, if they fear me they will not cross me." He swung down from his horse.

"Well, Yuy," Wufei said as he followed his lead, "I wouldn't have crossed you before."

"And I sure as hell wouldn't now." Trowa finished. "Would you really have me whip him?"

"If Gereint hadn't stepped in," Heero said meeting the other pilot's gaze, "yes."

Since they had left Halcyon it had seemed to enter a state of disrepair, Heero noticed as he walked hand in hand with Duo through the halls. It seemed strange to Heero because Dieina had always kept the place immaculate, nor had he seen servants scurrying out of the way as he had used to. The yellow sitting room that had once been the chatelaine's pride and joy now looked like no one had been in it in a hundred years. He understood now why Gereint had looked at him strangely when he had asked that Danan D'Karioni meet them here.

"Wow, old Dee Dee has really let this place go." Duo said spinning around to take in the ruined tapestries and torn upholstery. He ran his fingers through what must have been an inch deep layer of dust on one of the previously finely polished tabletops. "I can honestly say that I never expected this place to be in this state."

"Maybe she is planning a redecoration, it is obvious that some time has elapsed since we left here if her majesty has had a son."

"Yeah," Duo said and then with an impish grin leaned forward and kissed Heero on the lips. It was a flash thing, something completely unplanned but still it took Heero's knees out from under him. "Thank you for this," he murmured against his ear.

"Excuse me," the boy said interrupting them as he pushed open the door. He wore a badly fitting jerkin and his shoes looked like they were almost completely worn through. His hair was outgrown and there was a smudge of dark blue paint on his cheek, "I'm Danan D'Karioni, I was told you wanted to see me."

Author's Note:

Dairai - is the Japanese word for imperial palace.


	14. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 14

After being abandoned by Heero and Duo Gereint led the other boys into a small sitting room where a fire blazed merrily. The furniture was sturdy though the cushions were threadbare. "Help yourself to kir and bread, I'll go see if I can find someone."

Quatre sat down on a pile of cushions and began to tug his boots free. "Feet hurt," he told Trowa distinctly, as Aia knelt down to help him.

"If only life was that simple," A young male voice said opening a door and entering the room, he was about their age with a shock of sandy blonde hair and staggering grey eyes. He was a very good looking boy. He wore clothes that he was yet to grow into in a sturdy black weave. "Your feet hurt, you remove your boots. Can I ask what brings you to Halcyon?"

"Can I ask your name?" Wufei said moving between him and Quatre, he suddenly felt the lack of Fenrir who had accompanied Heero and Duo to the yellow parlour, he got the impression no one would have been so forward with such a large animal in front of them and more than capable of ripping out their throat with his teeth.

"He's the prince." Quatre said brightly then fell back on his pillows.

"Then what is your intention in Halcyon?" The boy repeated. Trowa thought it strange that this boy was the same age as they were but he considered him a boy.

It was Aia who answered, "we are the entourage of Shinigami no Duo-Tennosha, he has business in Halcyon with Danan D'Karioni, your highness. He awaits him even now in the yellow parlour, we accompanied Sir Gereint from Sidi."

The prince, who was not dressed like one, measured up what she said, "shit," he said, "we better find Bunny before they do then." He looked at them, "wait here, or I'll have you put to death." He said but it sounded an empty threat.

Duo looked up at the boy before him, "you're not Danan D'Karioni," he said in shock, "he's older than you are, I don't care if you're trying to protect him, bring him here."

"But," the boy protested, "I am Danan D'Karioni, I am the seventh son of Mikhail D'Karioni, there is no other Danan D'Karioni."

Heero leaned in to whisper into Duo's ear but he didn't hear it.

"You are not him, he killed Mina, bring him here to face judgement." Duo shouted standing up, Fenrir looked between them.

The door opened and a tall man came in. His clothes were in a better state of repair than those of the boy. "Is there a problem here, Bunny?" He asked, he had his hand obviously on his sword and in reaction Fenrir started to growl.

"These men were looking for me but they say I'm not who they are looking for." The boy said cowering behind the young man who couldn't have been older than twenty-five at the most. "Devlin, I think," the man, Devlin shushed him.

"You are looking for Danan D'Karioni?" he asked calmly, he had loosened the sword in the sheathe. "You'll have to get through me."

Heero's smile was slow and cold. "I have no issue with that, but," that word was like an explosion, "I want to make sure that it is the right Danan D'Karioni that I eviscerate for my lord. This is not the man we seek. He looked more like you, he was about your age with grey eyes."

The door opened again. "For crying out loud, Devlin," the newcomer said, "I can't leave you alone for a minute, but you're picking fights with someone, can I?" it was another boy, this one wore a farmer's smock and a pair of leather shorts like Trowa's. He had red brown hair and the most piercing pair of golden eyes, much like those of Fenrir. He was easily as tall as Trowa and his feet were bare.

Devlin, who stood a good head and shoulders taller than everyone else in the room managed to look cowed. He had black hair that was inexpertly cut and a pair of soft black eyes but he was pale as if he had spent too long out of the sun, but he held himself competently. "They were going to attack Bunny."

"They don't want Bunny," a familiar voice said from behind the boy, pushing his way into the room was Tobin D'Cevni who looked exactly the same as he had before, "they want Danan D'Karioni, hello, Duo, Heero." He bowed his head to them both, "it's been a very long time."

Duo pulled himself off the couch for the first time, "Tobin, what the fuck is going on here? Where is everyone, we asked to see Danan D'Karioni and we get this boy trying to protect him? Then this one comes in and says "over my dead body" and Heero is more than willing to oblige him, and at this rate I think I might have to carve out a little of my bad temper on him, and then this boy comes in and says he's jumping to conclusions and the man backs down and everyone's calling this boy Bunny and then you're here. Where's Alister, and Aeka and all the servants? What the hell happened here when we were gone, it wasn't that long."

"Six hundred years." Tobin answered calmly. "You were gone six hundred years."

Duo was silent, he opened his mouth to speak a few times but nothing came out but his expression remained flummoxed.

"Then how do you still live?" Heero asked.

"I'm not sure I do." Tobin answered calmly. "I belong to the Forest and I have served it since after you left, the loom is snarled and some us have been caught in limbo." His answer was sad and quiet. "There are a few of us. But Duo, this isn't that Danan, but he is a Danan, the one you want died in an insane asylum six hundred years ago."

"That Danan?" Bunny asked from where he hid behind Devlin. "He was really mad, he wouldn't go anywhere without his mirror and so they locked him in Amon Mar because he bit this woman and…"

"That's enough, Bunny." Tobin said quietly, "he suffered for his sin, that's all they need to know." He looked across at Duo with his poison green eyes, "I'm sorry, I know you wanted to kill him yourself for what he did."

"Did he have children?" Heero asked.

"No," Tobin answered. "He died mad and alone in Amon Mar and was buried in a pauper's grave." Then his entire demeanour changed, "well, it's good to see the two of you back, come on, we'll have a feast, I'll send Jose down into the town to get some fish, is there just the two of you, and the wilding obviously, oh, and while I remember, Duo this is Deakon," He looked at the boy with the golden eyes, "Deakon," he pointed across the room, "Duo, he can talk to the dead too."

Author's note:

Cast list, I didn't want to give you one of these until I had actually introduced them.

Jored Baatorin : Crown Prince of Aatoria.

Taira Deakon : 2nd in line to the throne of Aatoria

Caspian Baatorin : the king's bastard son.

Devlin D'Aino : Heir to Amitre, very protective over Deakon

Bunny D'Karioni Aka Danan : Jored's playmate.

Danev of Melc: Their guardian.

the Cadacus (aka Takehito Mamoru) : the erstwhile Senshisha

Sir Cameron : A disgraced Seraphim angel – the prince's tutor.

Sir Gereint : Sir Cameron's research partner

Cedric : Sir Gereint's errant.


	15. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 15

The golden eyed boy looked directly at Duo and then tilted his head, "I know you," he said calmly, "you were at Samrath, I stood in your shoes when I crossed the field."

Duo lowered his eyes at that, but he did answer, "I was at Samrath," he said.

"Mina has a message for you." He said stiffly, tilting his ear to better hear, Duo thought. Then the boy smiled, "I'll give it to you later," he said, "I don't think you want it across the palace even if there is only a few of us here." His smile was incandescent and playful, "all sorts of people would get jealous." The look that crossed his face then was wicked, "and you too, Hiiro," he said, copying the name and only mispronouncing it slightly, "I have a message for you from her." At that it looked as if he might out right giggle. "But I should introduce you to everyone." And that like his anger at Devlin was gone.

"This is Devlin, he is my Senshisha." He said carefully, "and the heir apparent to Amitre but his mother has a good fifty years in her yet," he winked up at the taller man, "and you know Tobin," he rolled his eyes, "everyone knows Tobin," Tobin stuck his tongue out at the boy, suggesting they had been together for years. "And this is Bunny, well Danan, but everyone calls him Bunny."

"Why?" Heero asked, "Surely Danan is a more suitable name for a young man than a contraction of rabbit?"

Bunny answered him with a rush and a grin, "well, that's a really long story but when I was born my older brother said I looked like a bunny and he'd rather have a bunny than a brother, because he already had five brothers, so I became Bunny. Everyone calls me that. I even call myself it. I don't think of Bunny being girly in any way, it's just me." Then his eyes darkened for a moment, "it was the only thing my brothers ever gave me and I'd rather use it with pride and spite them than call myself Danan and let them think for a moment it hurt me." Then he smiled again, "So that's why I'm Bunny." He said brightly.

"Energizer Bunny." Duo mumbled just low enough for Heero to hear and he had to smother a smile at the joke.

"I am Yuy Heero," Heero said with an almost completely straight face, "I am Senshisha to Shinigami no Maxwell Duo-Tennosha." He was careful to give Duo the full title that Mina had given them before. "We travelled here with some companions, we left them with Sir Gereint." At Duo's feet Fenrir growled. "And this is Fenrir," Heero said acknowledging him.

"Bless him," Bunny said, still lurking behind Devlin even though he had come to the conclusion that they meant him no further harm. "What a big dog, can I stroke him?"

Fenrir gave Heero the same look he gave him when Duo had spent hours with his face buried in his fur, it was a look that said "why me?"

"That is not a dog," Tobin said putting his hand on Bunny's shoulder, "he's a wilding, and I don't think he cares for being stroked, do you?" Fenrir's look suggested he carried the world on his shoulders.

From the main door a blonde boy burst in, he looked worried.

"Yanno," Duo said dryly, "you might as well put a revolving door in here, I don't think it would get so much traffic."

"Oh, thank the Lady," the boy said ignoring Duo entirely, "you're alright," he put his hand on Bunny's shoulder, "I honestly thought they were going to kill you."

"They didn't want me, Jored," Bunny told him with a hundred watt smile, "they wanted another Danan, we're all friends now, this is Heero and this is Duo, and look, they have a dog."

Nevertheless the blonde boy tugged Bunny into a hug, "don't you scare me like that again," he said, "just wandering off because someone asked for you, don't you remember what happened the last time?" It was clearly an admonishment, "this time they didn't want to kill you, but the time before they did, and the time before that. They'll kill you to get to me and I don't want that to happen, you're my important Bunny, you are not expendable to me." Bunny just hugged him back.

"And this," Tobin said expansively, embarrassed by the display, "is his highness Jored Baatorin, Crown prince of Aatoria."

Jored seemed to regain his composure after that and pulled back from Bunny, shaking him by the shoulders, "and they didn't call you names or anything?" Heero flicked a glance at Duo who looked around innocently.

"No, Jored," Bunny enthused, "they wanted someone else, not me, it's all really confusing, I know, we can sit down with several bottles of that wine and whatever dinner Josian has scrabbled together for us with our new friends and get royally pissed, how does that sound?"

"I," Jored said looking around, "I left some people in the south parlour," he looked as if he had been scolded, "we should include them in this welcoming." Then he looked at Duo and Heero, "I have been a lax host, I'm sorry." He bowed to them as if to an equal, "the Cadacus is trying to make it better but I am not well versed in politics. I am sorry if I have been rude, I should have met you at the gate. I am sorry." Then he turned and walked out of the room.

Duo took Heero's hand within his own and then beamed at Tobin, "well," he said with a smile, "welcome to the twilight zone."

Back in the south parlour Aia had sat herself down at Trowa's feet and was playing cats cradle with a long string she had acquired from somewhere. "I wonder what's going on?" Trowa asked Wufei. He had sat down on one of the threadbare couches where Wufei stood at the window looking out over the sea.

"Fascinating," Wufei said to himself, "the architecture of this place, it's an Aedificum."

"Yes, wall," Trowa said to the fireplace, because it was obvious that no one else was listening, "I have no idea what's going on either."

There was a short rap on the door and a young man let himself in, he looked careworn and tired and his scarlet jacket was stained with all sorts of bright colours that one did not normally associate with food, Gereint was just behind him, with another man who was built like a mountain with a great red beard. "Hallo," the man mountain said, "I'm Sir Cameron, and you're the boys that Gereint dug up in Sidi, I'll look forward to teaching you." Wufei looked at the man and his beard and then turned back to the window, even his voice boomed, "now which of you is the one that hears voices?" Trowa looked at Wufei and then pointed at Quatre with a sigh.

"I'm Danev." The tired looking young man said, "I'll get him up and ready as soon as he wakes up from the tea." His voice was soft and whispery and it was strangely reassuring, and Trowa understood that this man wouldn't hurt them, and if he did, it would be to heal them. He couldn't have said how he knew, he just did.

Author's note:

That's everyone in Halcyon except Josian and you've met him before. I hope that helps it all make sense. (grins)

I was going to have the two chapters 14 and 15 as one big chapter but there was so much info to take in I split them just to give you a breather in the middle, so two short chapters rather than one really big one.


	16. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 16

They gathered in a large room where two fireplaces were burning to both light the room and ward off the gathering winter chill. There was a plethora of battered leather cushions strewn about the room and a low wooden table that was covered in wine bottles. Although there were lamps about the room they looked poorly tended and the windows were shuttered against both the light and the weather.

The prince, Jored, was the one to break the uncomfortable silence, "okay, I think that's everyone," he did a quick head count checking that his five visitors were all present and accounted for. He had sent off Devlin, Tobin, Josian, the Cadacus, Cameron, Gereint and Cedric with Aia to make sure that they all had somewhere to sleep though he suspected that if this night went according to Bunny's plan that they would just sleep on the cushions. After all he, Deakon and Bunny had done this before lots of times. Even when food was scarce in the palace they never lacked for wine.

The Tennosha was sat cross-legged beside his Senshisha, his hair was a long rope down his back but there was something nestled against the curve of his neck, there was something there that Jored wanted to reach into the collar of his robes and just pull it free just to see. However judging by the look on the face of the Senshisha he knew better than to try.

Bunny was sat on the other side of the table from them, bouncing excitedly even as he arranged the cups for them.

Next to him was the Xingian boy, Wufei, whose posture looked almost painful it was so strict. His eyes were on everyone in the room. He was the only one not perched on a cushion.

Between him and the tall boy with the interesting hair was the blonde boy, who it appeared might be asleep and drooling. Jored decided if his companions weren't bothered by it then he wouldn't be. The tall boy had one of his knees up between himself and the table and the longest legs Jored had ever seen. He was watching everything intently from behind his hair and Jored found himself wondering if he had problems with depth perception.

Deakon, as always, was sat next to him.

"There are too many cups." The Tennosha said quietly, his voice was sweet and breathy.

"Actually," Deakon interjected, "when you spend a night in your cups you leave a cup for the devil." He grinned at the boy, "I thought you knew Tobin, you know he always does that."

"We never went drinking with him." The Senshisha answered calmly, his voice was deep and mellifluous.

"You missed out then." Jored answered, "Tobin tells the best stories when he's drunk, but this is a meet and greet debauchery, so he can come drinking with us later." He sat forward then, "so, red or white?"

Jored was pleasantly drunk. The wine had proven bitter so they had sweetened it with honey and Cameron had appeared after a while with a tray of cheese and honey crackers and nuts because he had predicted that they would be hungry. They had dived on the plates like locusts. This had led to the Senshisha kissing the lips of the Tennosha whilst the boy with the unusual hair crowed in delight, pointing and laughing.

"Let's play a game." Bunny said, "we can't spin the bottle because Heero would kill any of us that tried to steal a kiss from his" he leant in and whispered the word, "husband," Deakon was biting his lip in the most adorable manner and Jored was resisting the urge to just lean over and kiss him, because he hadn't the excuse that the Senshisha had.

"I know," the blonde boy chirped up, despite being the smallest of them he had managed to consume the most wine. "We'll tell each other secrets."

"Something no one else knows." Bunny added.

"But," the boy with the bang protested, "some people know our secrets."

"Alright," Jored said sitting forward, "anything that either Deakon or Duo don't know, I mean," he paused letting the world spin a little, "anything everyone except them knows. Something secret."

"I'll start," the blonde boy said waving his hand, "I have twenty nine sisters." He said brightly, "and I can't stand any of them."

The boy with the hair was sat next to him, "I don't like broccoli," he said, "it makes me fart."

Then it was Deakon's turn. "I used to get mistaken for a girl," he said, "and I used to use it to get sweets."

Jored thought for a moment before he answered with his secret. "It was me that hid Sir Cameron's journal." Bunny snorted with laughter as Heero spoke up.

"I have ticklish feet." He said resolutely, his glare daring anyone to laugh out of turn at that.

Duo took a little longer in answering, "I swapped princess Peaceofcrap's mouthwash with urine." His Senshisha had just taken in a mouthful of red wine that he sprayed over the room when he laughed. Jored noticed he was really quite handsome when he smiled. He looked innocent, "it was the same colour."

Bunny bit his lip as he thought of his secret. "I threw up in Danev's shoe and blamed it on Jored."

"I got badly punished for that." Jored protested. "He would not believe it wasn't me."

"That's because it normally is." Deakon answered.

Jored conceded that point. "True. Now what about you, what's your terrible secret?"

"Treize Kushrenada defeated me in a one on one battle and let me live." Wufei growled.

"Way to go, Wu," Duo said sloshing his cup around. "Getting into and out of Oz central alive, a toast," held out his cup, "to Wu the warrior!" and they all drank, even Wufei.

Then it was Quatre's turn again. "I've seen Catherine Bloom's panties." He blushed rather wickedly, "and it was good."

"That's my sister." Trowa protested.

"She is hot." Duo told him.

"Gorgeous," Wufei added.

"What colour?" Heero asked causing Trowa to look incredibly embarrassed whilst everyone else laughed.

"Come on, Tro," Duo chided, "your turn."

Trowa thought about it. "The ring master at the circus keeps putting his hands on my ass." He said finally. "I thought that he did it to everyone but it's just me."

Duo sniggered as Deakon thought about it. "I don't have any secrets." He protested, he was quiet for a moment, "I killed a boy at Shiro." He blurted out and then went quiet as he looked around the room.

"My father has tried to assassinate me eight times." Jored added, putting his hand on his lover's shoulder.

"I accidentally destroyed a block full of civilians." Heero said sadly.

"The orphanage I stayed at was destroyed to make me steal something for them." Duo filled in.

Bunny went quiet and Wufei took his turn, "my entire colony was killed to let me get away and I was secretly glad of the chance to flee."

"I killed my mother in childbirth." Quatre said his eyes on his wine cup.

"I killed a little girl who would have betrayed me to Oz though I loved her." Trowa said.

"I have lain in bed pretending to be asleep when Jored and Deakon have sex."

Heero stumbled forward, "I think we need to stop this game." He said, "Duo, I think it's time for bed." This time there was no catcalls, no jeers; he pulled himself to his feet as the rest of the room was silent. He held out his hand for Duo who used it to pull himself upright.

"I think I've had a little too much to drink, Ro." He said quietly, letting Heero guide him. "Joe," he had already abbreviated the prince's name, "Deak, Bunny." He acknowledged each of them in turn. "It's been fun. Goodnight, sweet prince." At that he sniggered. "Hey, Ro, are we in the same room?"

"One way to find out." Heero answered brightly. Duo looked pleasantly flushed in the firelight, his face was sweetly pink and his lips were stained by the red wine and swollen. He leant in to steal a kiss, ignoring the catcalls of Trowa who fell over backwards and Wufei who refilled his cup. "Come on," his voice was gruffer when he finished.

"Hey, Jored," Deakon said, "do you think we'll still be that affectionate when we reach their age." He said with a smile.

Duo stuck a finger up at them. "but, Deakon," Quatre said, "you're older than we are."


	17. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 17

In preparing their bedroom Aia had turned down the blankets and built a large fire in the grate. As soon as the door was closed behind them Heero used his weight to press Duo to the wall and took a deep breath through his nose of his hair.

"What's come over you?" Duo asked.

Heero silenced him with a kiss. They had been kissing for most of the evening. Duo made a mental note that wine turned Heero into a kissing monster, but Heero's lips were against his, and moving so slowly and sweetly he wasn't' really sure that he cared. He melted into the kiss and didn't even question the tongue that flickered against his mouth, and even opened his own to give it entrance.

Heero had never kissed him like this.

He tilted his head back to give Heero better access, his hands pulling at his braid, tugging his hair free so it fell down his back. He had no intention of denying Heero anything. Heero pressed against him with his chest and started, very softly, to thrust against him, mimicking the action of his tongue with his hips. It felt so good that Duo swallowed back a moan, not sure if it was his or Heero's. He could taste the wine Heero had drank, and the honey, and something else, something meaty and warm that could only be Heero. He wanted more, so he started to concentrate on that taste and began to suck softly on Heero's tongue.

It was definitely Heero that growled that time.

Not sure what else to do, because he didn't really know an awful lot about the practical side of these things, though being rather well educated on the theory, Duo began to wriggle and Heero growled again, pinning him in place with his hips as he thrust.

It felt so good, so right, that Duo thought he would explode.

"Ro," he gasped, pulling away but unable to stop the way his hips were rubbing against Heero's on their own. He was achingly hard and he could feel Heero's erection against his own, hot and solid. "We have to stop."

Heero just grunted, kissing along his neck with soft wet open-mouthed kisses.

"I'm going to come in my pants if we don't stop." Duo protested, his hands on Heero's shoulders as his mind struggled to process what was going on.

"Maybe I want you to." Heero told him, and that was all the permission Duo needed, he opened his mouth again to Heero's advance and just rode the sensations with gasping breaths and struggling moans. It felt so maddeningly, brain meltingly good. He wanted it to stop, to never end. He could drown in this sensation. Then Heero reached up under his shirts and pressed his palms to the small of his back.

He came with a gasp that, to him at any rate, sounded like someone had stood on a cat, he felt the hot wet splashes that stuck his trousers to his groin with a few uneasy jerks. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into Heero's, which were dark with lust and wine. He could see the flush rising on Heero's throat and it was just the sexiest thing he had ever seen in his life as Heero came with a grunt.

They stood there for a few moments trying to gather their breath and their wits. "Ro," Duo said finally, laying his forehead against Heero's shoulder, "I think we just had sex."

Heero tilted his head and looked at him, then began to chuckle, deep in his chest. "Yes," he said quietly, "I think we did." Heero stroked his hair softly and gently, like petting a cat. "Shall we go to bed, love?" he said and Duo was halfway to the bed before he realised what Heero had called him, love.

He woke before the dawn and lay in bed for a moment, feeling Heero's heartbeat and naked chest against his back and waited for the hangover he knew he would have. Some time during the night Heero who had gone to sleep facing the edge of the bed in preparation for danger had turned over and thrown his arm over Duo pinning him into place. Duo didn't really mind.

He lay there for about ten minutes before an aching bladder forced him to slither out from Heero's arm. Heero, who normally awoke if Duo took a deep breath, seemed oblivious. Obviously the wine was still lying heavy on his stomach.

He relieved himself and threw some more wood on the fire before he washed himself down, amazed at the way the musky smell of semen lingered in the room. No one would be able to deny what had happened last night. He smiled to himself. He still pleasantly ached from it. Maybe he needed to get Heero drunk more often.

"I'll get him breakfast in bed." He said to himself, "he'll like that."

Deakon was sat on the bench opposite his room with his arms crossed. "I thought you'd be up." He said with a smile. "Welcome to the world where wine affects us like water." He said standing up, "We just shrug it off." He offered out his hand, "we don't have lessons either, so the Cadacus and I were wondering if you wanted to help out in the rose garden because you saw it before."

Duo remembered the rose garden, it had been beautiful, and an enclosed courtyard where the roses lined the path and the swing that hung in the centre. Now he wondered if it had been allowed to go to wrack and ruin like the rest of the palace. "I know nothing about roses." He said after a long moment.

"Neither do I, but the gardeners do and we can ask them." Deakon told him brightly.

"Alright." Duo said.

"And besides," Deakon continued regardless, "It gives us a chance to talk."

Heero woke up to Aia pulling back the curtains to the bed and the realisation that the light was far too bright. His head hurt, he ached in muscles he had never ached in before and he felt ever so slightly nauseous. He wasn't used to feeling nauseous and he was sure that he didn't like it. Duo had already left the bed and he wondered for a few moments if he was all right, but decided that he really wasn't in a state to protect him if he wasn't. "Good morning, Heero," Aia said brightly, and loudly, "Duo's in the rose garden with Deakon and the Cadacus in case you were worried. Cameron wants the lot of you in the east atrium for lessons."

"What about Duo?" Heero groaned as he sat up.

"Well there's no point teaching the pair of them, they just know what the dead do." She said, "so he'll meet you for lunch. It's alright, he's not on his own." She bristled, "now I don't suppose you'll be wanting any breakfast." Heero gagged.


	18. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 18

Heero followed the unhappy line of students on their way to lessons with his head down and his stomach roiling. They walked past the kitchen middens and he made a point of remembering their location in case he had to make a run for it. He rather suspected that he would have to.

Danev was a tall man leaning over a covered table, behind him was a wooden board painted black unto which he could make notes with chalk. He did a head count as they all sat around the table, Jored laid his head on the table and groaned. It seemed he wasn't the only one feeling the after effects of the wine.

Danev did a quick head count, "Quatre," Heero looked across at the blonde, who did look to be the worst off of them all, "back to bed, you're excused from lessons until that tea has finished having it's way with you, Tobin, go with him." Tobin who had stood at the back of the room nodded and led Quatre out.

"Where's Duo?" Trowa whispered across to Heero.

"In the rose garden, apparently he doesn't get lessons." Heero told him.

"Well, that's not fair." Wufei answered.

"No talking." Danev said slapping a wooden measuring stick hard on the desk with an almighty crack. Every one of them winced at the noise. "Now today's lesson plan should be interesting to each and every one of you." He reached behind him and pulled the cloth off the table to reveal a cadaver, "Today, boys, we're having a practical lesson in human anatomy." Heero copied Jored's example and laid his head on the table and groaned.

Duo walked alongside Deakon down to the rose garden, they had gathered certain items from the store, two large buckets, three pairs of secateurs, and a small handsaw. "At least it's a nice day for it." Deakon said brightly, "I hate working in the gardens in the rain."

"Is this what you do most days, when the others are in lessons?" Duo asked, he knew he could trust the boy, like him he could not lie, and they had a lot in common, but he just wasn't sure he wanted to spend all that much time with him. He barely knew him, after all.

"Among other things, if the weather's really foul I clean the paintings or mend the tapestries." Deakon answered a little dryly. "Halcyon's been left to it's own devices for a long time, it's falling apart and the dead really don't like that, I started doing it to calm them down a little, but I've gotten left with the majority of it. Jored will probably be king, and Bunny will be high in his cabinet. Josian and Tobin help, when they can, and Cameron, but mostly it's just me." He shrugged. "someone has to do it, and at least the dead show me how."

"This palace used to have it's own army of servants, what happened to them?" Duo asked, he knew the ones he had known were dead but Halcyon was huge and needed a lot of people to maintain it.

"It's complicated." Deakon answered. Duo realised that was all the answer he was going to get.

"Are you boys ready?" A man said from the shadow of the opening to the wildly overgrown rose garden. The voice was deep and rich, and Duo realised, familiar.

"Mamoru?" He asked, the figure stepped back into the light and Duo knew he was right, "Mamoru, ohmigod, Heero's gonna flip, we thought you were dead with everyone else." Then he realised what he said. "Why aren't you dead?"

"I am," Mamoru answered, "and I am not Mamoru any longer, I am the Cadacus." He bowed his head to Duo, "but it lightens my heart to see you well, Duo, and that the years were kinder to you than to me."

Duo glomped him, wrapping his arms about his waist, "god, you look great, you're a little cold, but never mind that I am the Cadacus stuff, you're…" he fell silent as he realised the chest he had rested his head against had no heart beat. It was then the realisation of all that he had lost occurred to Duo. The previous night the revelation had been drowned in wine, but seeing Mamoru, whom he had known and adored, and feared in equal measure, brought it back home. And Mamoru was so cold, like stone. "But, Mina," Duo protested as he collapsed into sobs.

"I failed her, Duo," the Cadacus said resting his cold hand against Duo's back, "and this is my punishment." He let the weeping boy bring him to his knees as Deakon looked on uncomfortably, "shush," he said, stroking his braid, "it's alright, really, shush, just let it all out." And Duo wept.

Danev was smiling to himself as he gathered the boys around the table. "To begin," he said lifting a scalpel and a small saw, "we'll start with removing the brain." He moved behind the head on the table, "to do this we make an incision around the back of the head from ear to ear, and then from forehead to the incision, this gives us two flaps." He pulled the two flaps up over the corpse's face, "often with this procedure the skin will stick, and needs to be pulled back with a hefty yank."

Heero was sure he heard Jored retch, but he held his ground.

"Then we take the saw and remove the brain pan." The saw was making a terrible squealing sound as it ripped through the bone. It also seemed to last an eternity. "We have to be very careful when removing the brain itself as it is very delicate." It came free with a shlurp sound, Heero thought that might be it for him, but his stomach held firm. "Now to make any incision into the brain itself it first has to be pickled as now it has the consistency of badly made aspic."

That was it for Jored; he bolted from the room with his hand to his mouth. Danev smiled.

Duo accepted the kerchief from the Cadacus as the storm of weeping subsided, he wiped his face and then blew his nose soundly, "all done?" he asked patiently, Duo nodded.

"Boys don't cry." Duo said a little forlornly.

"But the Lords of Meirin do." Deakon said sitting down on a small milking stool.

"It's been a terrible shock," The Cadacus said softly, "and I think that I was the straw that broke the Duo's back."

Duo nodded sitting down on the milking stool that had been set out for him beside the bucket, "how, I mean how, I mean why, I mean, oh god, I…"

"I was punished for my failure, Duo." The Cadacus said softly, as Duo wrung out the cloth between his hands.

"Did you fall at the Tor? Did we leave you behind to die?" He asked, he would not meet the Cadacus' eyes.

"No," The Cadacus said softly, "Josian saw me through that battle and all those that followed as I fought my way to Meirin. I learned there that Minako had fallen. I," he stopped for a moment, something that should have been an exhalation but there was no breath in him, he was cold and had an ashy pallor to his skin, "I took my sword," he stopped again, "the sword she gave me, to the Aegis to finish my duty." There was another brief pause, "I offered myself to the Aegis but it refused me, and I have been like this ever since."

"Don't show him." Deakon snapped, "you'll get maggots again."

The Cadacus offered the boy a smile, "as he is so keen to point out, the wound from my seppuku never healed and outside if I bare it it has a tendency to get infested and I can never tell."

"You feel nothing?" Duo asked. "You always had so much passion."

The Cadacus smiled again, "my body feels nothing, my heart, however, feels protective over Deakon, and now you. I will not fail either of you like I failed her." And Duo knew that was true.

"For the next stage we slit the corpse's throat," Danev said slicing through the skin, "and pull the tongue down and out of the way. Heero, if you could press on the chest cavity for me." Heero swallowed down bile but did as he was told forcing the air from the corpse's lungs in a breathy moan. Someone beside him dry retched. He wasn't sure but it might even have been him. "Now we make the Y incision, we start at the shoulder and cut down to the sternum on both sides and then from the sternum to the navel and pull back the flaps."

Trowa had his hand to his mouth and looked terribly pale, Wufei was looking everywhere but at the cavity, and Bunny was stood behind them, trying with his posture, to get even further away.

"Now we need to remove the ribcage." He lifted a set of what must have been medieval bolt cutters and with a sickening crunch began to snap through the bones. That proved enough for Wufei who ran from the room much like Jored had done. Danev watched him go even as he continued to snap the bones.

"Fine," Deakon said, "now Cadacus, if you can cut the bushes back to about half a foot off the ground, Duo, you remove the leaves from the branches, because Danev wants them, and I'll remove the flower petals and the hips because we can use them for kir." He looked around to make sure everyone agreed with their task.

"You said we were doing this because it was complicated to explain, we have time," Duo said taking the first branch from the Cadacus who snipped it clear with the secateurs and started to strip the leaves into the bucket, "we have time for you to explain."

"I don't know where to begin." Deakon said snapping one of the branches over his knee and throwing the bare wood into a pile.

"On our way here everyone was adamant that there would be a war, perhaps if you explain that." Duo said, "I don't like being in the dark and I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"It's complicated." Deakon said forlornly. "but I'll try."

Danev lifted the lungs from the chest cavity and laid them on the table, and then started to cut out the heart, "now the heart is a powerful muscle that is formed of four small chambers, each that beats separately. I'm going to put that aside for later so that we can dissect it properly. Now," he lifted out a small fleshy sack and emptied it into a glass jar, it smelt of vomit. "From his stomach content we can assume his last meal was," he rooted around in it with his finger, "chicken."

That was it for Heero, he ran from the room to the kitchen middens.

Danev grinned at the remaining students, Trowa and Bunny "and then, there was two."

Deakon was silent for a moment as he worked out what to say, "Halcyon was built by Imperator, the first emperor for his wife, Setsuna, who was a lady of Meirin, but she was murdered by a rival." He said, "and the imperial capital was moved from here, Halcyon, to the Dairai in Dramathen." He paused, "but out of respect for the memory of Setsuna the empire kept Halcyon beautiful," he stopped again, "and it became the home of the Western Emperor, which was a fancy title for the Dathyl ambassador."

"Like Mina?" Duo asked.

The Cadacus nodded and carried on cutting back the rosebushes.

"This went on until about seven hundred years ago when Christof was emperor, he was married to Morgan the mad." He angrily snapped the flowerhead off the branch he was working on. "And she truly lived up to her name."

Danev looked at the remaining two students, "after the stomach contents we move unto the bowels, as you can see," he said yanking them out, "they are like twisted wet towels and the rather amazing thing," Trowa watched them slip and slide through his hands before he too ran from the room, "is that there is actually two cubits length of them inside the human body."

He looked up, "well, Bunny, it's just you and me."

Bunny grinned at him, not in any way looking distressed or nauseous, "well in that case, can you pull back the skin on the arm so I can have a look at the musculature, I just can't draw hands right and it might be easier if I could see what was going on underneath."

Danev looked at him, as if weighing up the opportunities. "Well, if you're not going to be sick, you can help me get the rest of them into bed."

"You mean you did this on purpose?" Bunny asked, his face was all wide eyed innocence.

"I can't see any more binges in the next few months," Danev told him, "can you?"

"Morgan the mad," the Cadacus said, "was utterly insane, to keep her under control Christof sent her here, to Halcyon first, where she continued her reign of terror." He was sat cross-legged on the damp grass as he talked, his voice mellifluous and even. "The nobles of Dathyl rose up under the leadership of Jhenivere D'Aino and her husband Gawain Baatorin." He licked his thin grey lips, leaving a sheen of moisture behind, Duo hadn't expected that. "They took control of the city and then expanded as far north as Caelum and made a deal with J'dan to secure their southern borders. Jhenivere was grandmother to Aeka's husband." Duo nodded, now he understood the timeline.

"And although Jhenivere was D'Aino because her husband was Baatorin that house held the throne." Deakon explained.

"And the empire has always held the law of Primogeniture." The Cadacus said, "the first born inherits everything, hence Aeka's daughter became queen after her despite that she had a son."

"Was she happy?" Duo asked. The Cadacus nodded and it soothed Duo somewhat.

"About two hundred years ago," Deakon said, "the Dathyl royalty moved out of Halcyon into the new royal palace on the other side of Cinderton. They had no link to Setsuna and one of the queens was a sensitive, she could sense the ghosts and they frightened her." Duo nodded, "but rather than let the palace go to the D'Ittoro house, who rule Dathyl, they made it the crown prince's compound, some place that the boy, or girl, could learn to rule. They were defended by the Garvem and the palace was maintained." He let out a slow deep breath. "Jored's father, King Ford, was second born," he explained, "my mother, Aeris, was due to inherit the throne from her father." He paused again, "but my mother ran off, she never formally abdicated, she just left, to marry my father." He stopped again, "and Ford was crowned king, but before that, to secure relations with the Empire, because a war was brewing, Aatoria accepted _jheratay_." He stopped, not pausing to explain the alien word, "they took three high ranked maidens from the empire as brides, to bind the countries together, Johanna La Luna, Jored's mother, Saaraphine of Melc, Danev's mother, and Mariya." He stopped again.

"The marriages were doomed to failure from the start," the Cadacus explained, "and the treaties they represented with them. Mariya's husband beat her, so she killed him and then killed herself. Saaraphine was married to Sir Bedivere, the Seraphim Lord, who refused to accept that she was educated, despite her being an incredibly intelligent woman, and when Danev was born took him from her and exiled her to Muchine. He didn't treat his son any better than his wife, and Danev has a half sister, Meglaina, whom Sir Bedivere makes claims with to Saaraphine's own land of Melc." There was another pause, "Johanna La Luna, was an imperial princess, albeit of a side house. Once Jored was born the king exiled her to Aviemore amongst the Garvem, some say even before Jored was born." He stopped for a moment, "Jored was sent here, to Halcyon, with his nurse and an army of Garvem." There was venom in his voice when he said that word. "As the king publicly lived with his mistress Anapola."

Deakon continued the story, "about eleven years ago Anapola had a baby, Caspian, and allied him with the Seraphim. Since then Ford has done everything in his power to take the right of primogeniture from Jored, he claimed he wasn't his son, and slowly removed the servants from Halcyon, in the hope he would die. The Garvem stopped that until about four years ago." He stopped with a slow sigh.

"Devlin's mother, Emithi," the Cadacus said, "wanted no truck with the king, and when she took her sons, she has two, to the south on a pilgrimage she left her daughter in Halcyon, in the care of Danev, who had been looking after Jored since he was about four." He paused again, the silences were unnerving, "perhaps she sought to create an alliance because like Bunny, Taliasen and Jored were of an age. The Garvem raped and murdered her."

The silence was pregnant that time.

"Jored wouldn't have the Garvem anywhere near him or the palace again, since then," Deakon explained, "the Cadacus and Josian took me here not long after, and we have struggled by. We receive no stipend for food, no clothing except the donations from the people. Emithi brings us plenty when she comes, she says its because Devlin lives here, but no one believes her." He stopped. "So there you go, Duo," Deakon said, "I told you it was complicated."

"But." Duo protested, "if your mother was first in line for the throne, then you outrank Caspian." He said working it out, "if he's illegitimate."

"He was legitimised by the council." The Cadacus said, "but you're right, as Aeris' legitimate son Deakon does outrank the prince, but the war when it comes it more to do with allies."

"Jored is allied, even against his will, with the Garvem and Caspian for the Seraphim, and those two have wanted an excuse as long as they've existed to have at each other." Deakon said, "the Seraphim is mostly second sons, and the Garvem is raised from the populace. That's why, even if Caspian or Jored died in their sleep tonight there will be war. We're sitting on a powder keg and shooting out sparks." Deakon ran his hand through his hair.

Duo stood up, brushing leaf fragments from his trousers, "I need to think about this," he said, "excuse me," then he left.

He found Heero on his side in the bed, he was wearing a cotton shirt that he hadn't been, when Duo had left him. He wormed in beside him, curling up against his chest. "Y'okay?" Heero mumbled into his hair.

"I am now." He answered, and just let Heero's presence soothe him.


	19. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 19

Duo awoke to Trowa sitting on the end of the bed; his weight displaced him from Heero's arms. "Not you, sleepyhead." He said with a wicked grin, "Heero has weapons training."

Heero grunted out what might have been a curse before burrowing down further into the blankets.

This amused Trowa even more. "Heero, you have to get up, because the Cadacus is asking for you and frankly, he scares me."

Heero's death glare could have stripped paint.

"I'm not telling him that you can't come because you're holed up with your," he paused to smirk, "husband in a little do it yourself love nest," it really did look like he might, at any moment, burst into fits of laughter, "because between you and me, his sword is bigger than me, and Wufei's already found himself on the business end of Mr Pointy."

"Ran," Duo corrected sleepily, "it's called Ran, not Mr Pointy."

Heero sat bolt upright, "I'll kill him," he snarled, "I'll fucking kill him." He was wearing cotton pants and just pulled his leather trousers on as he ran out of the room.

"Did I say something?" Trowa asked watching him go.

"Hard to tell." Duo said then snuggled back into the blankets and the warm space Heero's abrupt departure had left. "Do you want something else?" He asked looking at Trowa.

"Shift over," Trowa said and then kicking off his boots climbed into the bed with him, "it's bloody cold and you look warm."

"Aren't you a little worried? I mean I don't mind but Heero might get the wrong idea." Duo said as Trowa lay beside him.

"I'm hiding," Trowa protested, "Aia has this idea that I'm her one true love and I'm counting on you to protect me, and if Heero comes back just say I suggested a threesome." He was smirking, "besides we never get to talk, just you and me."

"Are you suggesting that you got into my bed to have a heart to heart?" Duo asked, up close Trowa could see a sorrow in his eyes that he had never noticed before.

"Well it's hard to catch you without your shadow." Trowa said, he was lying on his side and his hair was away from his face. "And you never told us about you and Heero, and well, you're my friend, and I may not be able to kick his ass if he hurts you, but you can say on my gravestone that I tried."

Duo barked out a laugh, "it's complicated, Tro," then he sighed. "I'm in over my head and I think I want to be."

"Well," Trowa said, "perhaps if you start at the beginning, I mean I know you've always looked at Heero differently to say Wufei or me, but surely this started somewhere."

"He's my senshisha." Duo said sadly, "that means he has to love me, and I don't want him to."

"You don't want him to love you?" Trowa qualified.

"No," Duo protested, "I don't want him to have to, I want him to want to." He looked a little wild about the eyes, "and what if I only feel for him what I do because I am the Tennosha and I don't have a choice in the matter either, I mean, what if we're destined to be in love and…" He looked at Trowa, "don't look at me like that, you look like you're about to burst out into that quiet little Tro laugh."

"Duo," Trowa said in his most sober tone of voice, which was belied by the fact that he was about to burst into laughter, "I can't even see Fate making the two of you do what you don't want to, you can lead Duo to Heero but you can't make them fornicate."

Duo blushed bright red, "Trowa!" He protested.

"You mean you haven't?" Trowa asked with a laugh.

"I don't' see you getting all groiny with Aia." Duo pointed out,

Trowa stopped laughing. "That fellow with the scar pointed out that she's a Shiko-me, that's a girl who turns into a big nasty insect with poisonous claws, and teeth."

"She's got teeth now." Duo said, it was his turn to be amused.

"Not there she hasn't." Trowa pointed out, "and I refuse to get all groiny with someone when someone's groin could bite mine off, I'm rather attached to my groin I hasten to point out."

"She's got teeth there?" Duo asked, a little scandalised. "Well that'll teach you to save demons in the woods." Then he sniggered to himself, "teeth, there?"

"Apparently." Trowa said, "but anyway, we weren't talking about me getting all groiny with Aia, we were talking about you getting all groiny with Heero."

"I haven't." Duo protested, "we've kissed a bit."

"And?" Trowa pressed.

"Well there was a bit of drunken dry humping." Duo admitted.

"And?" Trowa continued.

"That's it, okay," Duo snapped, pulling the blanket up around his face.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Trowa said, "and it sounds like you have doubts about how he feels about you."

Duo sat up, "I don't doubt that he loves me, it's that he has to I hate, just because he is my guardian he has to love me, I want him to love me because he loves me not because the Kindly Ones have said that he has to because it makes protecting me better, and fuck that whilst we're at it, I can look after myself just fine." He fell back heavily unto the bed.

"Duo," Trowa said softly, rolling unto his back and looking up at the canopy, "your bed's nicer than mine." He pointed out suddenly.

"We had this room before, I'm not sure it's not the same bed." Duo pointed out, "it looks the same."

"Six hundred years is a long time not to change the bedding." Trowa pointed out, "but all I can smell on the sheets is," he look a deep breath, "well Heero and," he took another breath, "hmmm," he did it again, "myrrh, must be the bath oil."

"And how do you know what Heero smells like?" Duo said acting mock offended.

"He smells like rain on the fourth of July." Trowa pointed out,

"Like wet grass and cordite." Duo agreed. "Like Quatre kinda smells of cinnamon and peppery and sunshine, and Wu would deny it but he smells of the almond oil he puts on his hair, and night jasmine."

"And you and I," Trowa said with a sigh, "smell of teenage boy in heat."

"That's not true," Duo said, "Most of the time you smell of candy floss, sawdust and hot dog onions."

"That's because everything smells of hot dog onions, it's how you know the circus is in town, and you can't smell the animals, just the onions." Trowa admitted, "I'm not surprised, it just gets in your hair, and no amount of shampoo gets it out."

"I know, once a smell gets in your hair," Duo left it open.

"Oh remember that mission where the two of us had to get part time jobs in that restaurant." Trowa said.

"I thought I'd never get the smell of burger grease out of my hair." Duo lamented alongside him, "and the acne, it looked like I had plague."

Trowa laughed, "do you know Heero still looked at you like you were the most precious thing in the universe." He sounded kind of wistful, "I don't think he noticed, but he did buy you the anti spot gel."

"It wasn't as good as the stuff Dr G, but the thought was sweet."

"And he did that before all this Tennosha Senshisha business." Trowa pointed out solemnly looking up at the pleated canopy of the bed. "What is that anyway?"

"The dead talk to me." Duo said a little sadly.

"Of course, you're the god of death." Trowa told him firmly. "If they were going to talk to anyone they'd talk to you."

"I can see your mother," Duo said, "She's tall and kinda horsy, yanno." Trowa nodded as if he did, "and Quat's mom, and just stray people wandering around, especially here, and then there's Leney and she's great and she tries to make it all make sense but she was murdered and then there's Achren and I don't know what she wants, and sometimes it gets so much and that's what Tennosha means, it means Lord of the Dead."

"And Senshisha?" Trowa asked.

"He is my guardian, my rock in the storm, Mina said, she said that he would shelter me, that I couldn't' see his dead and then Achren said that he only loved me because he had to, that it was his destiny." He sounded a little put out, "and her and the Cadacus, they were like star crossed, and they loved each other so much despite that they hated each other, and I have to wonder if they hated each other because they had to love each other and then I find out that Mamoru's not dead, but actually he is, he's just some kinda zombie thing and he has no heart beat and Deakon says his guts keep falling out where he disembowelled himself because he failed her because she was killed, and I came here to kill Danan to find out he's six hundred years dead, and everyone's panicking because there's war coming and we're right in the thick of it and I don't know what the hell is going on."

Trowa rolled over and put his arm around Duo. He didn't say anything, He didn't need to, he laid a feathery and rather fraternal kiss on his forehead. It calmed him somewhat.

"And the only thing that made any sense was that Heero was here."

"Then does it matter that it's his destiny?" He asked.

"Yes, Tro," Duo answered, "I want him to want me because he wants me."

"I'm sure he does." Trowa told him, "he's too stubborn to do something just because he has to."


	20. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 20

Heero didn't enter the courtyard as much as explode into it with his sword raised. The Cadacus had his back to him but Wufei raised a black eyebrow at his rather ostentatious entry. "Where did you get that sword?" He bellowed.

Wufei looked a little sheepish, "he gave me it." He pointed at the samurai appearing figure that was turned towards the wall.

"You took your time," The Cadacus said, turning, "and judging from your temper I would suggest that perhaps Duo did not explain about my rather unique circumstances." As he turned Heero took a step backwards, bringing his sword between the two of them.

"You know each other?" Wufei said looking back and forth between the two of them.

"You can't be here." Heero protested. "You are…"

"Unique circumstances." The Cadacus' smile was bloodless. "I had hoped that when Duo left me to seek you out that he would have told you about me. Mamoru is no more," he said calmly, sadly, his tone wistful, "I am fallen," he said, "I am the Cadacus. I failed her Heero, she died and I wasn't there to die with her." Wufei looked as if they were speaking in another language for all that he understood.

"Then if I fail him…" he left it open. "If some other sword…" the words had suddenly gotten very hard to say.

"I don't know." The Cadacus told him directly. "But I don't want to find out, you brought your sword, let's spar."

The fight, as Wufei would have argued vehemently that it was, was quick and brutal, they lunged at each other with their swords drawn and collided like mountains. It was a match of questionable skill and an awful lot of rage; they slashed at each other like madmen and only stopped when Heero had the point of his sword at the Cadacus' throat. Then he offered him his hand to help him stand.

"I won't let you fail him." The Cadacus said finally. Heero just nodded.

Wufei watched the whole exchange with a bemused look. "You were holding back when you sparred with me, weren't you?" He asked the Cadacus. The Cadacus simply shrugged. Then turned to Heero, "I see that six hundred years has not dulled your passion." Heero blushed bright red and the Cadacus smiled to himself. "There are things that the others would like from the town, Heero, and it is not that late, perhaps you would like to accompany me and we could talk."

Heero flushed for a moment, "I would like that," he said, "I will just go tell Duo where I'm going. I can not be a good senshisha if he does not know where I am."

The Cadacus smiled, "that you care is enough." He said rather cryptically.

"I'll tell him." Wufei said, standing up, "you two just go on, I'll tell him that you've just gone shopping. I'll stay with him if you like."

"He's not a child," the Cadacus said, "and he is more than capable of looking after himself, after all he beat me in a knife fight." It sounded that at any moment he might burst into either laughter or tears. It was hard to decide which.

Wufei was startled to see Trowa lying in bed next to Duo, he blinked a few times and then smirked, "so, Maxwell, are you just working your way through us in numerical order?"

Duo stuck his tongue out, "and am I sorrowful that 5 comes last in the list," he placed the back of his hand to his forehead, "oh woe is me, that it might take my whole lifetime to know the pleasures of the Wu."

"I only popped my head in to tell you that the Cadacus took Heero to town for supplies, they wanted a private conversation."

"Poor, Wu," Trowa said just as sarcastically as Duo had, "all these people having private conversations and no one wants to talk to you."

Wufei sat at the end of the bed, crossing his legs and arranging one of the furs over his knee, if he took Trowa's words as a dismissal he was ignoring it. "So, Barton, are you just looking to seduce the onna," he looked at Duo, "or was there an alternate motive to be in bed with him."

"He's hiding from Aia," Duo said, "and I take it Heero asked you to keep an eye on me." Wufei nodded. "You see, Aia has teeth."

"Most onna have teeth." Wufei pointed out.

"Not there." Trowa enunciated.

Wufei hid a smirk, "Besides the onna assumes that since you saved her in the woods by Gwen Ystrat that it is your duty to protect her, and she is cleaning the kitchen at the moment." He had perfect posture and looked as if he might at any moment explode from holding in his laughter. "But it is the place of warriors to protect women because they are weak."

Several spectres that had, until that moment, been silent snorted at that, Duo was pleased to note some of them were male. "Ask him why?" Eluneth said with a smile.

"Before we haunt him to his dying day." Achren added, her voice was dangerous and her whispery ethereal hands were about Wufei's throat.

Duo tried not to look at the half rotten face of the spectre that stood behind Wufei, threatening him violence, "why? Why are women weak? Would you say that to Colonel Lady Une, or Sally Po, or Noin?"

"He said it to Noin." Trowa pointed out.

Duo rolled his eyes. "Just why, Wu, I mean Meiran used to kick your ass all the time."

Achren was getting more and more annoyed as the moments went on, the flesh seemed to recede from the left side of her face as she snarled. It was not a pleasant sight.

"Because if men aren't strong for women then they never get the opportunity to be beautiful." Wufei almost snarled it out and Achren's fingers fell back from his throat. "If they become warriors then they never achieve the strength to be mothers, to be aunts, to be lovers. It takes great strength to be strong enough to be a woman rather than a man, men are warriors to protect women, to allow them the time to learn and to love, to raise their children. Relena Peacecraft is a stronger woman than Noin for that reason, Noin is weak because she lacks the strength to be a woman." Achren's fingers ran the length of his forehead before she laid a lipless kiss on his forehead. Neither Duo or Trowa had anything to answer that.

Dathyl had changed little in the six hundred years since Heero had left it. In fact he was hard pressed to see any differences except in the dresses the women wore. "I imagine you must have many questions," The Cadacus said picking up a basket of fruit from a vendor.

Heero accepted the basket of apples without saying a word. "I had questions."

"Did you know the Senshisha before you?" Heero asked.

"No," the Cadacus answered, "he killed Minako's mother and then himself whilst I was training, I thought I was training to be one of the emperor's elite, perhaps in the role that Fiore later served as captain of the Okiya guard like my father, I did not know until after I had given my oath that I was to be Senshisha." He moved to another stall which had bales of cotton laid out, he fingered the material. "I resented Minako for that, but it was not her fault."

"Did you know it was a wedding ceremony?" Heero asked, he had been tricked into marrying Duo by the empress.

"Once it started, yes, I was in love with another woman, and then when she discovered that I was married and the Lady of Meirin no less she treated me like I was stuck to the heel of her shoe, I turned that resentment to Minako, who in turn turned her rage at her parent's death to me as if it had been my fault. As it was neither of us were at fault, but instead the circumstances surrounding Meirin."

"We barely saw Meirin." Heero conceded.

"It is a cold and lonely place, Deakon wanted to stay there when we travelled from Shiro, many things become answered there, the dead hold most secrets close."

"Duo has doubts." Heero blurted out, "he thinks that he is hiding them successfully from me but I see how he sometimes pulls away from my touch." He stopped, "and when we try to get intimate, even something as simple as kiss, this other spirit comes through and I am sure that she would not have such dominion over him if he did not have such doubts."

The Cadacus stopped and looked at him, "did she give a name?" He seemed to glow with some inner anger.

"Verdande, she was explicit that he name was Verdande."

The Cadacus swore. "As lord of Meirin Duo must carry a burden of guilt," he said, "that guilt must be expunged or spirits with such attention will use it against him, there have been those lost of the dead before. We must make plans to take Duo to Amitre, it holds the nearest temple of Atua'a. Duo must ask the god for his help."

"If he doesn't?" Heero asked.

"Slowly Verdande will take over, she uses his confusion over you to take control. I will speak to Duo on your behalf, but we must take him to Amitre, and soon."


	21. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 21

Tobin met the Cadacus and Heero at the gate with Deakon, Duo, Trowa, Jored and Bunny in tow. "There is nothing in the palace to eat." He said deigning to ignore the bag of food that the Cadacus was carrying. "So we're going out to dinner, Josian is staying with Blondie, who still hasn't stopped with the vomiting shakes, and the Xingian boy is as well." Heero nodded, actually making sense of the tirade, "And Cameron's had his daily food parcel so I thought it might be best to take the rest of them to dinner." He beamed at the Cadacus.

The Cadacus blinked, "and why do I get the impression that you will be feeding the boys at the Scarlet Arches and not, say, the Royal Setter."

Tobin didn't even look abashed. "The food at the Royal Setter is always half cooked and comes in vastly overpriced and too small for such growing boys. You know as well as I do, or at least you did, how good the food at the Scarlet Arches is."

"And it has nothing to do with it being the premier brothel in all of Aatoria?" The Cadacus pressed.

"No," Tobin answered with a rather broad grin, "That's just a bonus."

Duo lowered his face into one hand whilst the other sought out Heero's. Heero just squeezed the fingers tightly but said nothing.

It was Trowa than answered. "We're going to a brothel?" He asked.

"No," Tobin said calmly, "the very best brothel in all of Aatoria if not the known world." His laugh was a little maniacal.

"It is fine, Trowa." Heero said stiffly, "We have been there before."

* * *

The Scarlet Arches had a name that suggested a much grander building, Trowa had suspected that perhaps it would be a vast palace, instead it was a rather nondescript town house with a sign that hung outside of two bright red arches, one inside the other. "Why is it called the Scarlet Arches?" He asked, Jored went bright red and Bunny giggled.

"You don't want to know," Deakon told him trying to restrain his own laughter. Heero and Duo only had eyes for each other.

There was a reception area, where Trowa had been led to believe, by talk around the circus and a set of romances that Cathy had left about the trailer, would be covered in shag pile carpet and young girls in very revealing, and possibly shiny, clothes, or their underwear.

There was a large man at a desk and a ring of cushioned chairs. The floor was wood panelled and there were murals on the walls, not cavorting lovelies as one might expect, but verdant forest landscapes with occasional bursts of wild life. "Welcome to the scarlet Arches," a woman in a long white, Grecian Trowa's mind supplied, dress. She had her hair piled up on her head and from it hung golden ribbons that matched the ones on her feet and hands. But in the centre of her forehead, fixed there by scar tissue, as an elaborate twist of silver and diamonds that hung between sculpted eyebrows. She was a lovely looking girl with pale skin and blonde curls. "I am Eilonwy," she said carefully enunciating the strange name so they would remember it. "Lord Tobin, will you have your usual?"

Tobin grinned, leaning back against the desk, "Eilonwy, my dear, the years have been kinder to you than to me, I see that laughter has only added love to the prettiest eyes."

Before Tobin had started speaking Trowa had assumed that Eilonwy was at most in her mid twenties but it seemed she might have been older.

Eilonwy batted him playfully on the arm, "are all the princes of E'berta silver throated and honey tongued?" She scanned her eyes over the boys, "I trust that they are of age."

Tobin grinned, "Eilonwy, you wrong me." He said in mock hurt, "each of them is, and besides," he leant in to whisper in her ear; she nodded in response. Trowa got the impression that he wasn't here for dinner.

"Gentlemen," she said with a smile, "Lord Heero, Lord Duo, if you would care to follow me." Heero looked at Tobin who nodded. Still holding Duo's hand in his own Heero followed her.

Eilonwy mentioned something to the goon at the desk who nodded and pulled a bell pull from a variety on the table, and then she led the two of them away. "They're married," Jored said from the side, "it kind of precludes some of the pleasures of this place. But they'll get a show," he sniggered, Then he took Deakon's hand in his own, "Tobin, we're going to use the baths." Tobin nodded, leaving Trowa and Bunny sitting beside him on the couch.

Another girl, in pale blue velvet that ended just shy of her golden knees entered, she had black hair and skin that was almost the same colour as Heero's and the same brilliant, almost obscene blue eyes. "Bunny!" She enthused leaning forward in a way that showed off the globes of her ass. Trowa was pretty sure she was not older than they were. Instead of the elaborate jewels Eilonwy wore this girl had a single shimmering stone in the skin of her forehead.

"Nimue," he enthused, kissing her back on the cheeks. "Have you?"

She nodded, smiling breathlessly, "in my room, I've set up the easel and everything." She took him by the hand.

"Bunny's been painting her since we started coming here." Tobin said to Trowa, "his paintings of her sell for a high premium."

"You don't feel a little," he paused, "exposed here?"

"You're safer in the Scarlet Arches than the palace." Tobin said dismissively, "if he," he looked at the bored looking man at the desk," didn't take them out with his crossbows first then I'm perfectly content that you could just snap their neck like a twig, and besides, you're a customer, not merchandise."

"I think that's what makes me so nervous." Trowa answered.

"Don't worry, Eilonwy has set Duo and Heero up in a private room so they can have that conversation you talked about earlier, Deakon and Jored are in the bath, Bunny is in the attic painting Nimue, and you and me can have supper."

"You mean you can eat here?" Tobin answered him with a laugh.

"Hello, Vivikan," a woman said from the internal door. Unlike the other women here she had no artifice about her, her hair was honey blonde, about the same colour as Trowa's and in loose braids down her back. She wore a pale leather vest and trousers but her feet were bare on the wood floor. She had leather bracers on her arms, and a belt around her waist with three large knives hanging from it. She was about the same age as Trowa but carried herself as if she was much older, and when she moved she showed off a pale expanse of stomach. "I will take this one," she said to Tobin taking Trowa by the arm, her grip was strong and forceful.

"I only brought him for supper." Tobin protested.

"Then I will feed him," she said, "after all do I not owe you the very earth, Vivikan." Then she left the room, taking Trowa firmly by the arm with her. Tobin didn't move to stop her either.

* * *

Duo let Heero lead him into the small room that Eilonwy had unlocked for them. There was a wide cushioned chaise longue that was facing a curtained window. Heero peeked behind the curtain and then closed the curtains flushing brightly.

"What is it?" Duo asked with a smile.

"It is a," Heero said, sitting beside him but making no move to open the curtains as he searched for the word. "Where men go to see women dance, and they pay."

"A peepshow?" Duo asked, Heero nodded. "Now I have to see."

He stood up but Heero pulled him back., almost unto his lap. "You do not, really." As Duo turned to complain he decided that Heero had his best interests at heart, and he rather liked sitting on Heero's knee with his arms about his waist, he felt safe and loved, and decided that rather than being curious about what was happening behind the curtain that he would much prefer to kiss his husband.

* * *

When the woman reached her apartments she almost threw Trowa inside and against the couch in the centre of the sitting room. "I have waited so very long for you." She launched herself at him even as she unpinned her braids so they fell in a mesh down her shoulders and neck. "So very long for this." Her voice was husky as she fixed him to the couch that she had thrown him unto with both knees and ripped open his points.

Later in the aftermath of what could only be called a collision Trowa lay in the wreckage of her gown and his clothes and stroked her cheek where it lay against his chest. "I don't even know your name," she said to herself. Her breath burned like fire against the scars on his torso where she was pressed against him where they lay on the couch. Her vest and his shirt had taken the brunt of the explosion, tearing into shreds beneath them. Never in his life had he met someone like her. He didn't think he ever would again.

"Nor I yours," he said softly.

"I must know," she said leaning up on one elbow.

"I am no one of consequence." He replied calmly wishing her eyes weren't so dark. He was a fool for a pair of dark eyes. They were green, like his own but dark where his were bright, like seas in which he could drown, or the dark heart of the Termigent. The overwhelming image he got of her was one of liquidity.

"You're someone of consequence now," she said smiling impishly, "you are mine and that makes you important to me." At that Trowa got the most awful sense of déjà vu as if she had at some point said that to him, that at some point they were important only to each other, but then it was gone and the present remained. "And I would like to know the name of my kitten."

"You could call your kitten anything," he said, "for I belong to you."

"Perhaps," she said leaning back again to his chest, "but there must be a name that others call you."

"I have been Nanashi a long time." At first she chuckled and then she sat up again.

"You belong to me now," she said pouting possessively, "you'll never not have a name again, you're mine."

"There were many who called me Nanashi."

"But they knew your name." She countered.

"Perhaps, but I don't know yours either."

"I am Calydon D'Amarat, heir apparent of Otranto and first of the Demon Slayers of Aatoria" She said proudly raising her chin so her half undone braid framed her jawbone.

"I am just a circus clown," he said trying to pull away from her but she had him fast against the couch's back.

"Perhaps," she said mocking him, her fingers trailing down his chest, "but I would know your name."

"I told you," he said, "I am no one of consequence."

"I must know." She protested.

"Get used to disappointment." He half laughed with her, he couldn't stay angry at her. "I'm not going to tell you."

She grabbed his chin and used it to pull his head down to hers. "Then I'm going to have to kiss you until you either beg for mercy or tell me your name." She was playing with him, and he could play too. She kissed him lightly once, twice then a third time, flickering lightning bolts of kisses, because it almost burned him where she touched him so great was his desire so soon. A fourth time. A fifth. She almost kissed him, touching him so briefly it was like a fly on his mouth. He fought the urge to take her head in both hands and kiss her properly. He would win this. Soon she would get bored and either kiss him properly or stop asking. He would take a new name. He would take a new name from her.

"Trowa," he said eventually under her onslaught of kisses. "My friends call me Trowa."

"Now that wasn't so hard was it," she said and got up and walked away from him.

"Is that it?" He asked, crossing his arms behind his head.

"For the moment, it wouldn't do you well to get above yourself, kitten." She pulled a robe about her shoulders. "You belong to me."

"Perhaps," he said using the word the way she did. "But I am not good at being owned."

"Perhaps," she said either not noticing or choosing to ignore the slight way he teased her. She pulled her hair from the robe. "But I'm not a fair master. Have a bath, I'll be gone about an hour. I've dallied too long as it is, but I had to know."

He stood up and walked over behind her, wrapping his arms about her waist and putting his head on her shoulder. "I have to go back to the palace," he said sadly, "but I'll see about getting you let in."

She laughed which gladdened him. "I'll break you, you know, I always break all my toys." Her tone was light and buoyant, "But maybe not you."

"Perhaps." He said. She kissed him and then left him standing there naked in the centre of her sitting room.


	22. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 22

Wufei had not minded being left behind when the others had attended what Danev derisively called "the premier brothel in all Aatoria, if not the world". He had made it sound entirely a sarcastic of the exact words that Tobin had used. He was enjoying spending time with the large and bustling Sir Cameron and his quiet words and huge pile of books. As if sensing a kindred spirit when Wufei had shown up at his door that afternoon he had given him a sheaf of papers and told him to put them in date order. What surprised Wufei was how much he enjoyed it.

The books smelt good and there was a fair view over the city from his room. He shared what he had, which wasn't much, but was quite content to leave Wufei to his own reading whilst Danev sat with a book in one of the downstairs parlours with Quatre.

Danev had had a fair few things to say about the chiurgeon in Sidi and his methods of healing a headache. The tea that they had given him was a mixture of very strong medications. He had complained of a migraine so they had given him a powerful opiate as a painkiller, but he had complained of hearing voices so they gave him an anti-psychotic- iocaine to counter those. So from what Wufei could gather Quatre had been drinking crack cocaine – for a headache when willow-bark tea would have cured it. It was because of that that Quatre was ill now, but Danev had his own theories about the voices.

Wufei couldn't have said why but he trusted Danev more with Quatre than he should have a stranger. This world was strange and new to them but the books were fascinating and the people that Heero and Duo had introduced them to were kind.

Heero and Duo were a puzzle in their own right, they said that they had been here before. They were married here, he wondered over the legality of such a union in their own universe, but they seemed different, softer somehow. Duo looked at Heero when he thought he wasn't being watched and his face was so different from the usual mask he wore. Heero, if anything, over coddled Duo. Wufei didn't understand it but as long as it did not interfere with their abilities, which it didn't seem to do, he didn't care.

Sir Cameron was gruff but Wufei had already decided that he needed an assistant and he was more than happy to fill the role. He didn't doubt that Sir Cameron would be happy to have him, although so far the man didn't seem to notice that he wasn't his last assistant.

"You," Cameron said, waving, his hands were like huge slabs of meat, Wufei raised his head, "I need you to bring these to the library." He pointed to a huge stack of books, "and there should be a basket at the gate for me," he gestured in the direction of another empty basket, "swap it for me with that one, and we can eat." Wufei was shocked that the knight was prepared to share his supper with him. He didn't know then that Sir Cameron was given enough food to feed an army and he had always shared it with everyone.

He lifted the heavy stack of books with his arm looped through the basket. The stairs weren't as treacherous as those of his old Sifu's house on L5 and he found the library easily enough. It was exactly how an excited Duo had described it when they had travelled here. It was a bibliophile's dream. It was not so much a library; such as he knew it, but a stockroom of books that were piled haphazardly over the floor, and up the stairs to the cantilevered windows. They were thickly packed unto shelves, in mountains on tables, on chairs. Wufei had never in his life seen so many books. The room was not small but rather than corridors through the books there was small paths worn by years of research. Wufei wondered if the doctors would mind awfully if he spent his lifetime sorting these books.

More than anything he wanted to.

The figure in the window stared over him as the sun set behind it.

For some reason the image moved him more than he knew. It was a knight, in shining white armour with a snapping red cloak, he stood on the belly of a large and sinuous dragon who had one of it's feet at the knight's chest, as if to rip out his heart and the knight had his sword point to the throat of the dragon, who had it's long curving tongue reaching towards a large white horse that had been slain.

The knight had a terrible scar across his face, perhaps from the dragon, but what caught Wufei, just as it had stopped Duo in his tracks when he had seen it six hundred years before, was the look of sorrow on the knight's face. He dropped the basket and the books on one of the heavy wooden tables and walked across the worn rug to the window. It had two side panels of heavy vines laden fruit, but as Wufei looked at them they appeared to be overripe and rotten. The cherry tree had a look of something obscene about it.

It just added to the majesty of the knight and the dragon.

Behind one of the bookcases, as he stepped up to the cantilever he could see a gate. It was designed with the same vines of heavy fruit and he suspected it might have been brass but it was heavily tarnished and well hidden.

If he was Duo he would have abandoned everything to investigate the gate and the passage behind it. The truth was that he wanted to.

Now that he looked at him the sad eyes of the knight looked towards the gate.

He looked back at the empty basket. If Sir Cameron was anything at all like his Sifu dinner could wait, he would have to be disturbed to get him to eat, and he was sure he wouldn't be long, it was probably just more books.

The gate was locked and behind it he could see one of those tight stairwells that Halcyon was riddled with. Duo had taught him how to spring a lock and it wasn't complicated, so taking one of the lamps he climbed the stairs.

He shouldn't have bothered, the rooms at the top of the stairs were still flooded with early evening light. They were beautiful in ways the rest of the palace obviously wasn't, with lush furnishings heavily covered with dust and cobwebs. Mice scurried out of his way, but even in such despair the room was lovely. It was a small sitting room such as the palace was full of and there was another gate, he picked it and went through the small corridor into a room of marvels.

The walls were lined in mirrors in a hexagon so each reflected the others. In the centre of the room was a fountain with an iron tree. The mirrors made it look as if he was in a giant metal forest. The leaves were semi precious stones and metals. In the tree was a golden mechanical bird. Wufei had never seen wonders like it, but nevertheless he walked into the next room.

It was a sort of courtyard with a glass dome bathing the room in soft pinks, there were arches and fretwork surrounding an overgrown indoor garden of grass and fountains. He began to suspect that he had found his way not into the stock room of the library as he had assumed but the harem.

There was a network of beautiful bedrooms and rooms with arts and treasures that he could not have expected, left to wrack and ruin, yet still striking and lovely.

It was in the largest bedroom he found them. Six small children huddled around one larger body, rather than decompose the bodies had desiccated into mummies, and he could see the terrible slash on the woman's wrist where, with nothing else to feed them, she had given them her own blood.

It was obviously children with their nurse.

On finding them he didn't know whether to vomit or cry.


	23. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 23

The Garvem investigated the bodies all night, occasionally asking Wufei questions he didn't know the answers to, and some he did. They were tall, thin men, who looked tired but nevertheless treated the bodies with respect. They sketched them, they described them, just as Sir Gereint had done with the tomb in Sidi, then they took them away for burial. They offered him tea and someone sat with him whilst they did their investigation. They had an Angel come from the barracks who decided the bodies were at least a hundred years old and closed their investigation with the admonition to Wufei that if he needed to talk that they were there. Wufei almost scoffed at them, they were treating him like the victim when he had committed so many horrors in his lifetime. Nevertheless it was kind of them.

When they had gone, leaving Wufei the details and Danev fussing over their wake, he did not like the Garvem in the palace. Wufei had been told why. He understood the reason but also knew why Devlin, who had more reason to hate the Garvem than most, had gone to fetch them.

When they had gone Josian, who had been quiet for most of the evening, with Tobin having taken everyone else for dinner, spoke up, "I'll get Duo," he said, "this is his task, not the Garvem's."

Danev looked confused but it was Quatre of all people who spoke up, "he is the Lord of Meirin, he can bring peace to the dead."

Danev shook his head, "it's late, it can wait till morning now."

Duo sat at the breakfast table of the Scarlet Arches looking smug and kiss swollen. He was almost as smug as Trowa who had brought it to a whole new art and kept breaking into grins for no apparent reason. Heero was equally kiss swollen and kept biting his lower lip with his front teeth as if trying to recapture the taste of something precious. Jored and Deakon were sat holding hands and Bunny looked exasperated by the whole affair as if he was in a room of lunatics.

Tobin was studiously eating the eggs in front of him so he pretended not to see Heero shyly reach across the table and squeeze Duo's hand and the bright grin that Duo rewarded them with.

"By Acuya's golden veil," Bunny snapped, exasperated, "it's not even like you had sex."

"Well that's good to know," Josian said from the door where he had just walked in.

"Joss," Tobin said brightly, "you always have the absolute best timing, so, are you here to rescue me?"

Josian looked around the table, Trowa was beaming under his bang, Heero and Duo were smiling shyly at each other and Jored and Deakon had taken to feeding each other. "It is rather nauseatingly sweet in here, Bunny, my commiserations, unless you were with glowing bang boy here." Bunny shook his head as he pushed his breakfast away. "Well, I've been sent to get Duo, he is needed, the rest of you can stay here and suffocate in your sappiness if you like." Tobin looked horrified. "Duo, Heero, are you coming?"

Heero looked at Duo and offered him another shy smile.

"Well," Tobin said with just a hint of fatalism, "that's two of them gone."

Josian heard Bunny as he went to the door, "and who's bright idea was it to come here?"

Duo and Heero walked up Well Street hand in hand. Josian decided that he wasn't with them. They walked into the palace noticing the two Garvem on the gate, "they're going to make the place over," Josian said, "act of parliament, it was announced this morning." He shrugged it off, "We'll be relocating to Amitre in the next few days, but you're needed in the Okiya."

That word stopped Heero in his tracks, "The Halcyon Okiya?" he asked, "I thought it was gone."

"No, just lost in the palace." Josian replied, "your friend, Wufei, found it, there were bodies," he stopped and looked down at Duo, he stood nearly a whole head taller than him, "they were children, that's why we needed you."

Duo went quiet for a moment, then nodded. "I am the lord of Meirin," he said quietly, "I belong to the dead."

Heero blinked because the statement had been so very like Minako and not Duo. He then pulled him into a bear hug, "I am here for you," he said softly into his ear, "Come what may."

Josian rolled his eyes, "it's always true love at sixteen," he said, "almost makes me envious." His tone however belied his sarcasm.

Duo stumbled from the Okiya and into Heero's arms. Heero looked almost concerned as he swept him up into his arms with as little effort as if he was a paper doll. The Cadacus was there suddenly, "you are his rock," he said softly, "you are his shield and his staff." Then ruffled Heero's messy brown hair. "We'll leave for Amitre in the morning."

"They starved to death, Heero," Duo said looking up at him, "they were locked in and left to starve."

"Hush," Heero said stroking his hair softly, the braid like a weight in his hand, "you've sent them home."

Duo cried that night, even when he didn't want to. He couldn't help it, they had been babies and they had crowded around him, looking for their mothers, the Okiya princesses had been there and been so kind, they had held the little girls hands and offered Duo sad slow smiles. Eluneth had been silent and it was Achren who had walked them through. "We're hungry, Niisan," one of the girls had said, "can you help us?"

After that it was a blur, he just knew he had released them and then Heero was there and the sharp and soothing smell of cordite and his warmth. Who would have thought that Heero could be so warm? Duo thought of how he had spent the previous night, curled up with Heero kissing in a boudoir on the other side of the city and the children had been hungry, so very hungry.

Yet Heero was there, regardless, and although Duo wanted to, he couldn't send him away.


	24. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 24

Just outside Amitre was a wall of arches that had once supported some fantastic building that had since collapsed in on itself. In its place was the arches. They piled upon each other and from some of the highest, where the keystones had held, because some were in ruins, bodies hung as grim object lessons.

Duo studiously didn't look at them. The Cadacus had insisted despite Heero could ride that he sit with Duo in the carriage, Fenrir had climbed in with him, and Aia facing him. Fenrir lay across their laps like a giant breathing blanket, which caused Duo to chuckle sadly. Heero had hoped that he might make up for his sleepless night by sleeping in the coach as Aia talked inanely about how handsome Trowa was. Trowa was pining for what he considered his one true love, the woman who had seduced him and left him in Dathyl.

Quatre was looking brighter than he had for days, but Wufei had stayed behind to help Sir Cameron with his studies. Although Heero had reservations about that he trusted Wufei's discretion and it was the one thing in this world that might have made him happy.

Heero tried to block the hanging figures with his body and Duo offered him a tired smile. "I love you," Heero said softly, hoping Aia wouldn't hear.

"Baka," Duo repeated with the same soft smile.

Amitre was a city of excesses built around a massive cathedral, but always with the sobering view of the arches to the north-west. In the streets people cavorted with the worst sort of prostitutes and in the palace the best sort advised the Bishop, Emithi D'Aino. The palace itself was a honeycomb of small interconnecting buildings amidst vast courtyards and reminded him, deliberately, of the Dramathen Dairai, but here in stone and with Dathylian flourishes, but to the north-west, in the city, was the real seat of power, the Catedrale d'Acuya, where her beauty was immortalised in a thousand statues under her golden veil.

The Bishop of Amitre was a tall woman, easily as tall as Tobin or Josian, with short grey blonde curls framing a round face. Her dark eyes were painted with wide dark slashes, and her mouth bare, hanging from the centre of her forehead was an elaborate twist of diamonds with no chain to fix it in place. She wore lavender silk with a slightly darker lavender velvet cloak and it was clear that she was wealthy. She opened her arms to them all, "Well met and welcome to Amitre," she said hugging each of them in turn, "Jored, you've gotten so big," she gave him a powdery kiss on the cheek, "anyone would think it had been years and not months since I had last seen you." She appraised Deakon with a canny eye, "and you just get more and more beautiful," she pressed him against a rather magnificent bosom, "and you best be keeping him happy, or so help me." Deakon just laughed. "And my little Bunny," she said kissing both cheeks, "the light of my twilight years."

"And Tobin, these must be the Lord of Meirin and his cronies I have heard so much of, Devlin spoke a lot of them in his last letter." She looked at them as if deciding whether or not they would break in her embrace, she moved Trowa's bang, "such a good looking boy to be hiding behind all that hair," she tutted pushing it out of the way, "you'll never catch yourself a lady if she can't see you." Then she hugged him as tight as she had the others, Trowa looked as if he might want to escape. "And who is this little blonde pixie," she said, Quatre hugged her back as tightly as she had him, "Oh I could keep this one,"

When she went to hug Duo Heero growled low in the back of his throat. She laughed and clapped her hands together in glee. "And you must be the Senshisha," she said and hugged Heero instead, she smelt sweet and powdery and was soft to the touch. "such a handsome boy, those eyes, why, even ten years ago I would have walked across fire for those eyes."

"Emithi," Tobin chided, "never mind ten years ago, you'd do it now."

Emithi blushed and giggled then shrugged, "ah, it was a long time ago I rode through the streets of Dathyl wearing nothing but my smile." Devlin blushed bright red at his mother's fond reminiscence. She waved him away, "so you must be Duo," she said, "such a small boy to carry the weight of the world on such slender shoulders, come in, my home is your home." She didn't embrace Duo as she had the rest, she offered him her hand instead. "Any friend of Devlin is a friend of mine," she waggled her eyebrows lasciviously at that and Jored laughed.

"Shouldn't that be any friend of mine is a friend of Devlin's?" Deakon asked with a laugh, and Heero knew that all these men loved Emithi. The Cadacus however, looked a little scared.

Josian noticed Heero's puzzled look at the Cadacus and whispered in his ear, "you're too young for Emithi's taste, he's not."

Duo offered him a sad smile before they walked into the palace proper.

Heero ran Duo a bath, swirling the water around with his fingertips whilst looking at him. He didn't like to see Duo so sad; he was usually so good at hiding it. "Ro," he said looking at where Heero sat beside the bath. "I'm scared." He said. Heero just offered him his embrace with the same ease that Emithi had and Duo curled up on his knee beside the bath. "I'm out of my depth and I think I'm going mad."

Heero just cooed in his ear. "You're not going mad, I'm not going to let you." He started to undo the long braid. "Do you wish to skip dinner?"

Duo looked up at him, his lip wavering like he might at any minute cry, "yeah, can we just stay like this?"

"Forever," Heero said softly resting his cheek on the crown of Duo's head, "forever."

The Cadacus knocked on the door just before dawn. Heero had created a little nest of blankets for Duo in front of the fire and had held him to dawn. Neither of them had slept. "Are you ready?" The Cadacus asked softly, "this can wait a couple of days if you want."

Duo stood up, quickly gathering his hair, which Heero had undone sometime during the night, into a loose knot. "It's not every day you get to meet the Shinigami himself," he said but the humour was forced. "Besides, what's the worst he can do?"

"Kill you," the Cadacus said abruptly. "And damn you forever."

"And on the bright side," Duo said, "at least then I can see my own dead."

The Cadacus made Heero wait at the door of the Temple of the Death God as Duo kissed him on the cheek. "I won't be long, love." Heero heard the words but the Cadacus stopped him as he went to step forward.

"He has to do this alone," the words weren't as much of a salve as they had been intended.

Duo had expected things of the Temple of the Death God, things like skulls and pyramids of bones and monstrances built from human corpses. There was nothing like that. There was simply a room with a covered throne, and before it three small stone stools.

"Hello!" he called out, "anyone here," there was no answer, "olly olly oxen free!" he tried. The room remained silent.

"I was told to come here," he said, wringing his hands in his jacket, "they said that you would help me."

"And with what do you want our help?" It was a woman's voice, soft and silky with a strange accent that Duo did not recognise. When he turned around she was behind him, she wore a heavy lace veil but her wrists were slashed.

"I," he stopped, searching for the words, "I can see the dead, and I hoped, well, I thought, you could help with that."

The second voice was like stone grinding on stone, quiet and sibilant, "what is born within death cannot erase." The figure was heavily hooded and carried a censer that gave off the faint smell of cherries, the hand he revealed was rotten and covered in warts and sores.

"I don't know if I want you to take it away." Duo shocked himself at that revelation, sometimes the dead smothered him with their presence, but now he thought about it he was never alone and that alone was worth the torment. "I want to understand it. I want to know it."

"And what makes you think we can do that?" This voice boomed. The figure was like Sir Cameron, tall and broad, in heavy armour with a sword strapped to his thigh and a snapping red cloak.

"I," he stopped, "I can't serve you if I don't know how to use my gift."

The armoured figure laughed, a deep belly laugh that made Duo feel tiny.

"Shinigami," the woman said reaching out a bloody wrist to touch him on the face.

"Die," the hooded figure said, "and die again, and again, come into your own that you may be cleansed."

"I have a guardian," Duo protested, "I don't want to leave him, he won't do so well on his own."

Under her lace veil the woman smiled, "if we claimed you then he would be mine," she showed a terrible gash at her throat, "but we will not claim you, we will forgive you."

She stepped forward, broaching the gap between them though she moved in a strangely fluid motion, as if she floated or was on wheels, and kissed him.

Duo died.

He died as his mother gave birth to him.

He died as the kidnappers who had taken him crashed their plane.

He died in the hands of an old woman with too many cats.

He died of knife wounds in the slums of L2.

He died of plague again and again and again.

He died with everyone he had ever seen die.

He died of the passing sickness in the orphanage.

He died shielded in Sister Helen's arms.

He died being thrown from the Sweeper's ship.

He died.

But he didn't die with the Oz soldiers he had killed. He didn't die with the members of White Fang he had had murdered.

He cried for them, but he didn't die.

When it was over he smiled at the woman with no face hidden behind the lace veil, he smiled at the hooded man with his censer of incense to cover the smell of his sickness, and he smiled at the tall armoured man with the great red beard.

He bowed his head to the empty throne, "I understand now," he said, "but I am not forgiven."

"I know," said the shadowy figure who was almost out of focus behind the black throne. "You have chosen your penance, take it with my love, and know, my child, that you are blood of my blood and go with my blessing."

When Duo stumbled from the Temple into Heero's arm his back had almost been completely flayed by the whip but despite the pain he must have been feeling he offered Heero a genuine smile, "I understand now," he said, "and I am forgiven."


	25. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 25

If Duo had wanted to learn all the swear words in Aatorian he wouldn't have thought to ask Danev. However he would have been wrong. Danev took one look at his back and managed to go for at least fifteen minutes without repeating himself. He managed it whilst laying medicated clothes across his back as gently as he could. Heero looked as if he might try the feat himself or at least try and murder someone slowly and painfully.

Duo just lay there and took it, he couldn't see how badly his back had been injured when he had accepted his penance, and to him it was just a burning pain that stretched from his ankles to his neck, he thought he had had worse so he just took it without complaint. Heero on the other hand was all for wrapping him up in a antiseptic bubble whilst actually tying him to the bed just in case he tried something as stupid again.

Danev was ruthless as he tended him, giving no thought to any sense of his frailty as he scraped unguent into the wounds. Emithi stood at the doorway with a cup of liquid she was stirring, it was clear that they were going to medicate him.

"I have to cut your hair." Danev said, then took a deep breath to explain, "it's full of blood and we can't move you to wash it until you've healed some. At the moment it's a breeding ground for infection. With your hair that long I can't prevent you getting sick and dying."

Duo couldn't think of anything to say to answer that. Heero spoke for him. "He keeps his hair as a memory."

It was Devlin that answered from the door. "Mother," he said looking at Emithi, "do you still have grandmama's bracelet?" Emithi nodded not understanding. "Heero," Devlin said, "will you undo his hair whilst I get it. It has to be cut but it doesn't have to be lost." He stepped out of the room as Heero undid the tie at the base of Duo's braid.

"You have no choice," Duo said quietly. Heero gave no hint that he had heard him. He undid the braid and laid it reverently across the pillow away from his back.

Devlin came back in with a braided black enamelled bracelet and a pair of sharp scissors. "I'm sorry, Duo." He lifted an amount of hair and cut it away. For the first time Duo acted as if he was wounded. He then went to the side and braided the hair, pushing it through the bracelet and then clamping it around Duo's wrist. Duo looked at it strangely before he closed his eyes.

Devlin went to hand Danev the scissors, but Heero took them first. "I will do it." He took a deep breath, "I'd rather you hate me," he said to Duo quietly.

"Short," Duo breathed the word out, "cut it short." He took another sigh, "It'll grow back." He knew Heero had chosen to do it himself because Duo wouldn't hate him – even if he wanted to.

Heero gave no sign that he had heard but began to cut away the hair in long hanks he dropped to the floor. It was almost solid with blood and what looked like mucus. Then when his hair was almost gone, as Heero ran his knuckles across his cheekbone, Duo finally passed out.

Heero stayed with Danev thoughout Duo's long surgery. He sat by Duo's head occasionally stroking his cheek, or running his fingertips along the line of his jaw. Danev didn't seem to care. He was as gentle as he could be. He stitched the largest of the whip marks, covering each of them with a thick honeyed unguent. Heero asked no questions, and Danev offered no answers.

Deakon popped his head in at one point to ask if Heero was hungry, that Quatre had been worried about the fact that neither of them had eaten in some time. Heero accepted the soup but Danev said nothing as he poured it away. If Deakon knew Heero hadn't eaten, he said nothing.

Devlin brought him hot kir later, for both him and Danev. He gathered up the loose hair on the floor and put it into a silk bag that he tied off and placed on the mantle. He asked if he had woken, but he hadn't. Heero didn't answer him.

As Danev finished, laying a white cloth soaked in vinegar over Duo's back, Emithi came in and tried to usher Heero out. When vocal bullying failed she frowned and grabbed his ear between forefinger and thumb. "You will leave this room. You will bathe. You will get something to eat. Whilst you are out I will arrange for a cot to be arranged so you can stay with him. Do you understand me, soldier?" Heero had been conditioned to obey orders and his training warred with his desire to stay with Duo. "Danev is sick and tired as it is, I am not going to make him care for the two of you. I tried doing this as a hostess, it didn't work so I will command you as a bishop. Do you understand me, soldier?" She punctuated the word soldier with a solid yank on his ear. "The sooner we get it done the sooner we can come back. I'll sit with him." She said, "he won't be alone."

Heero looked back at Duo, and then with another touch to his cheek. "He said that he was forgiven." Heero said quietly.

"Some people need pain to be forgiven." Emithi said, "go take care of yourself so you can look after him yourself."

Heero was gone less than half an hour, and in that time Emithi had kept her word, she had arranged for a cot to be laid out beside Duo's bed, as there was no way that Heero could have stayed with him in the same bed. Emithi sat beside his head, his hand in hers. "Did he wake?" Heero asked as he took her place beside Duo's pillow.

"No," Emithi said, "I'll get some broth sent in case he wakes."

"Did Danev drug him?" Duo didn't like drugs.

"No," Emithi ruffled Heero's hair fondly, "oh to have known a man like you when I wanted a husband," She laughed to herself a little. "If any man in my life had been as devoted as you, I honestly think," she stopped, "if you were one whit less devoted, I'd steal you away. I'll send you up something to read to him." Her smile was wistful as she left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

"This world," he told Duo sadly, "is full of women who married for duty and were desperately unhappy." He ran his knuckles over his cheek again, "and for some reason they envy us so desperately that they push us together even more than most." Lying, looking like a doll on the white sheets, Duo said nothing.

He didn't use the cot, he laid Duo's head on his thigh, stroking his short hair and slept with his back against the carved headboard, hunched over. He woke up when Trowa knocked and entered.

"I thought I'd take shift for a while," Trowa said, "give you a chance to clean up and eat before Danev comes into change the bandages."

"'Ro," Duo murmured into Heero's thigh, clutching his hand tightly for a moment before letting it go, "go on, you gotta need to pee." He took a sleepy yawn, "go on," he slithered off his knee and placed his face heavily on the pillow, "go on,"

"Do you want me to go?" Heero asked.

Duo gave a dry chuckle, "you need to pee," he answered, "and I can't tell Tro you're wonderful if you're here. Go on."

Heero went, but it was clearly unwillingly.

Duo toyed with the bracelet on his wrist, "they cut my hair, Tro," he said, "is it really that bad, because I don't feel anything."

Trowa offered him a wry smile, "remember when we were in Corsica, at the beginning of the war," Duo nodded, "and you and me and Wufei met in that restaurant and he didn't, doesn't, speak a word of French and you convinced him to order the steak, but he didn't know the word."

"And he ordered steak tartar." Duo finished.

"That's what it looks like." Trowa said, "I can only see the stitches and the blood, but Heero said it was like someone had cut you open. He's really pissed at you at the moment."

"I," Duo began, "I needed it, I needed to be forgiven."

"Well," Trowa said holding up his chin, "you're forgiven for all those Oz soldiers you and I have murdered." He sounded magnanimous and made a strange gesture with his hand he hoped was a blessing.

Duo ignored him. "It wasn't that," Duo protested, "everyone around me died and I didn't."

Trowa's face softened, "survivor guilt, that was your great sin?" He stroked Duo's head, "then you really are the baka Heero calls you. It's not up to you if you die or not, you're Catholic, you're meant to believe in predestination and God having a plan."

"I met the gods of death." Duo said, "in the temple, it was them that whipped me that I could serve my penance."

"Baka," Trowa said in a rather fair estimation of Heero, "you know I told Calydon about all the terrible things I had done, even to ignoring Aia because she likes me, and she forgave me. She didn't need to, but she did, so I know what it's like."

"You like her," Duo said, "I mean really like her."

"She's a goddess." Trowa said, "She's driven and fixed and beautiful and deadly."

"So's Dorothy Catalonia." Duo said.

"Calydon is capable of killing me, Dorothy would." Duo was still laughing when Danev brought him in the soup that they were using to drug him.

Author's Note:

When I foresaw this chapter I knew Danev would have to cut Duo's hair, when the back is would long hair gets cut to prevent infection. I spent a long time with my beta discussing a way to prevent this and we couldn't work around it, I asked doctors and all sorts. Then one night on the antiques road-show they had this brooch, and it was full of human hair. It was a piece of memoriam jewellery and we had a revelation. The Victorians were strange but by gum were they useful at times like these.


	26. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 26

Days slipped quickly into weeks as Duo lay prostrate on his stomach waiting to heal. He was never alone, people took shifts at his bedside and Heero took to sleeping through the days to watch over him at night, and Duo sometimes woke to the soft sensation of Heero reading to him as he brushed his bangs from his face. He knew then, half asleep and still mostly dreaming, that Heero loved him completely, it was only when he was awake that he doubted it.

He spent his mornings with Quatre who told him what gossip happened about the palace he never saw, he told him how Aia had made Trowa breakfast but Trowa had already gone out riding with the men and not known, and that Emithi had what he called a boy toy, a boy not much older than them that she invited to her room sometimes. Listening to him talk Duo was glad of Quatre's innocence even when it was faked for his sake, although he could be incredibly oblivious to certain things.

With Quatre he would listen and drink tea and know that somewhere in the palace Heero slept having relinquished his shift.

Midmornings belonged to Aia, who came in and washed his hair and what parts of him that Danev allowed her to clean. She chattered constantly about how wonderful Trowa was, causing Fenrir, who lay by the fire looking at everyone with the same casual disdain until mid afternoon when he loped off, to sigh.

Emithi came in for a few hours at noon, she fed him soup and talked to him like an equal about power and responsibility and how it might be an idea to order the Cadacus to sleep as he sat sentinel outside his door. She didn't seem to understand that the Cadacus didn't need to sleep.

After that his afternoon and evenings were Trowa's. Trowa told him honestly what happened through the day and whatever attempts that Aia had made to woo him, and how desperately unsuccessful they turned out to be, and Duo would laugh and do his impression of Aia saying "is it because I'm a demon?" to which he really wanted to answer, yes.

"So, what did you tell her?" Trowa asked, he sat on the edge of the bed in a green sweater and leather pants. He smelt of horses and outside.

"I asked her what she saw when she looked at us, I mean the five of us," Duo answered.

"And?" Trowa pressed.

"She said that with the exception of Quatre that we were scary."

Trowa scoffed, "Quatre's the scariest one of the lot of us."

"I know that and you know that but strangers always think it's Wufei."

"Speaking of him," Trowa said quickly changing the subject. "He was here yesterday, when I was in with you. He had to see Danev."

"Was it anything serious?" Duo asked. He liked Wufei even if Wufei generally didn't approve of Duo at all.

"Just a rash," Trowa answered, "but Sir Cameron carried him almost kicking and screaming here, stripped him to the waist in the main sitting room and said, "look, that' not a normal rash, is it?"

"And was it?"

"It was like dry skin, all flaky and hard, of course being as Sir Cameron stripped him everyone had a look, I saw it when I went to get your supper. It was like fish scales on his back. Danev said it wasn't anything to particularly worry about but not to scratch it and gave him some lotion for it. That smelled foul. It looked like he'd mixed up rabbit pellets with Vaseline and behaved like it too, but Wufei said it calmed the itch." He took a deep breath, he only ever talked like this to Duo and it tired him. "So, back to Aia, she said she found us scary."

"Yeah," Duo said, "so I told her that she wasn't scary enough for you, that you wanted a woman as dangerous as you were."

Trowa laughed out loud.

"She said that obviously if turning into a giant killer insect wasn't scary enough for you she didn't know what was." Trowa doubled over laughing then, this was the reason that he and Duo got on so well, although Duo appeared to be affable he was often cold and only really Trowa could make him laugh with his dry wit and Duo always made Trowa laugh. They each filled in the absences in each other's lives. Yet despite being almost two halves of the same whole there was no real love, not like Duo had for Heero. There was none of that vomit inducing need, none of the fear or the desperate need to touch the other that he shared with Heero.

Duo waited until Trowa had slowed his laughing to add, "perhaps if we give her more weapons that Halcyon's armoury, cut her hair and give her leather armour you'd look." Realising that Duo was aptly describing Calydon, whom Duo had never seen except by Trowa's descriptions, he laughed even harder. It was a rare sight, Duo thought, but still one to be cherished, Trowa doubled over, unable to control himself. If anyone else had have been there Trowa wouldn't laugh like that, even if it had have been one of the other pilots. Trowa was the only pilot that Heero trusted Duo with, and though sometimes that rankled Duo who was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, sometimes he liked that Heero respected his friendship with Trowa. Although he would also admit that Heero had become easier with it once Trowa had been seduced by the Valkyrie- Calydon.

"Trowa," Duo began once Trowa had caught his breath and wiped the tears from his eyes, "why does Heero only come at night, when I'm asleep?"

Trowa raised his left eyebrow, "he's not supposed to," he said, "Danev was worried he would make himself sick, it would explain why he sleeps so late." Trowa swept away Duo's hair from his face with a large calm hand, "it's alright, Duo, I won't tell anyone."

"Fenrir's watching over him, isn't he?" Duo asked, referring to the large wolf.

Trowa nodded, "you never see one without the other, I wonder if the Eldest sent him here, as Aia said, to protect you or to protect him."

"I want to get up," Duo said glumly, "I'm tired of lying here and what goes on in this place goes on without me."

"I can't imagine it will be long, the stitches are out now, I'm sure Danev's just covering so you can't open it up again, it was horrid, Duo, it looked like raw meat, the only one of us it didn't nauseate was Heero because he was too angry with you."

"I thought that was why he hadn't come." Duo said into his pillow, "That he was angry with me."

Trowa laughed again, a high peal that was more seductive than his unrestrained giggling of others. "Angry with Emithi for enforcing Danev's order, yes, if she took him as seriously as the rest of us do she wouldn't leave her room without being surrounded by a brace of guards, but she just laughs and squeezes his cheek. I think if Relena Peacecraft ever tried it that he would have just turned tail and ran away, I think he would have taken Wing to the farthest reaches of the galaxy to get away." He watched Duo's look of horror, "she calls him a little cutie and keeps trying to hug him."

"He's mine." Duo growled.

"Despite the fact that you think he doesn't love you?" Trowa tilted his face.

"He's my Senshisha," Duo was growling, "He has no choice but to love me, look at Jored and Deakon," he protested.

Trowa laughed again, "Duo," he protested through the laughs, "Jored isn't Deakon's Senshisha," he said calmly, "Devlin is."

"What?" Duo pushed himself up, "no," he protested, "I've seen the two of them, and…"

"Devlin is Deakon's Senshisha, ask the Cadacus if you don't believe me."

It was obvious that Duo didn't, "Cadacus!" he called out, the door opened and the Cadacus put his head through the door. "Who is Deakon's Senshisha?"

"Devlin," The Cadacus replied calmly, then he stopped, "oh, there's been some misunderstanding," he smiled, "Duo, the Tennosha was married to the Senshisha to give their bond meaning, eventually it became tradition. There is love between them but not necessarily true love." The Cadacus was impassive but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "I see now," he closed the door behind him, and sat down on the edge of the cot beside the bed that had been set up for Heero. "Trowa," The Cadacus said calmly, "would you fetch Heero for me? Thank you." He didn't wait for an answer and just looked at him until Trowa rubbed Duo's head and then went.

"Duo," the Cadacus said patiently, "had I even an idea of this mistake," he watched Trowa leave, "I would have amended this six hundred years ago. Heero told me he worried that you had some reservation, that something held you back from everything but his comfort, I assured him that it was probably just your age and nerves and it seems I was wrong." He took a deep breath to measure his words. The Cadacus, other than the deliberate rise and fall of his breaths, was as still as stone. "Where did you get the idea that Heero was only the true love of your life because he was your Senshisha?"

"You," Duo said, "and Achren, she said he had to love me."

"He does," The Cadacus corrected, "he has to love you to protect you, but that doesn't make it so that the sun rises in your eyes. Have you seen the way he looks at you? Would he do that if he didn't worship you?"

"But you and Mina were so unhappy." Duo protested, he wanted to roll unto his back or his side but he could not. "And you loved each other so much it made you so miserable, and then you have all those other Tennosha that live in my head, they were all so unhappy. You were all so unhappy, and then Achren tells me about how he has to love me, and I'd rather that he was somewhere else, with someone else, that making him unhappy."

"Baka," Heero said from the doorway with a faint smile. "To think that I would love you just because I had to, that you would sacrifice yourself to save me." He walked across and sat on the cot beside Cadacus, clutching Duo's hand, "We can't keep each other safe if you are worried over such silly things."

"You told the Cadacus all this," Duo protested, feeling rather childish, "that you thought I was pulling back and you never told me why."

"You told Trowa." Heero replied calmly. "I think that perhaps we should learn to talk to each other, I talk to the Cadacus because he knows what I suffer without you." He ran the pad of his thumb over Duo's palm. "Danev thought that you would worry if you thought I wasn't eating or sleeping and if that was the case that you would be slow to heal."

"You came at night." Duo said, wanting to melt into the touch, to know that Heero would be there. He had no comprehension of why.

"This," the Cadacus said, "is the bond between Senshisha and Tennosha," his voice was soft, "this need to touch, the desire to do all in one's power to protect and by touch we can verify that they are safe. Watch Devlin and Deakon, watch the way that their fingers linger against each other." Duo thought that another man might have smiled fondly but not the Cadacus, "anything else you feel for the other on your own." He stood up with a stretch, "I will ask Danev if you can travel to Meirin anytime soon, I think that the two of you need some time alone and the tower will give you that." He walked towards the door, "the tower can protect you from everything and what you can learn from each other is best learned on your own." He held open the door, "and Duo, I'll see if I can arrange for you to get out of that bed some time soon, you look like you're about to go stir crazy."

"You were worried about that?" Heero said, slipping off the cot to kneel on the floor by Duo's head, "baka."

"I wanted you to love me." Duo said, "I didn't want to make you, Trowa said I was being silly but I couldn't stop worrying."

Heero cupped Duo's face with his hands, "baka," he repeated and then pressed his lips against Duo's.


	27. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 27

Duo never did find out if Danev's black eye and his release from bed coincided. He just knew that Trowa seemed smug about it, and that Heero hovered about him like a moth to a lit bulb. However Heero often ran at the mention at Emithi who seemed unable to decide whether or not he was a beloved son or a potential lover. Sometimes Duo was jealous and sometimes he would just give out peals of silvery laughter at how frightened of a small woman he was.

Duo was no longer completely confined to bed although through lack of blood he was forced back again and again. It was turning cold and Fenrir had found himself a thick rug in front of the fireplace in Duo's room. Often, when Heero had found himself some hiding place from the Bishop Duo would climb out his bed, his bones moving like those of an old person, he would curl up on the rug beside Fenrir, and bury his hand in the thick, coarse fur, rubbing his nose along it, and then resting his face in the hard juncture between shoulder and elbow. Fenrir smelt of safety and pack and the forest. He would sleep there, twisted up against the wilding like a puppy, and when Heero returned to him, rather than carry him back to his bed; he would pull the blanket from the bed and curl up beside him. Fenrir would then growl at anyone who came near the two boys.

When Emithi found them, she slipped out quietly and called her artist in residence and had them sketched in almost silence. She later had the image painted and carved in marble, two boys twined in amongst their own limbs as a large wolf watched over them, occasionally noticing the artist as he sketched them. She presented it to them later, when it was finished, because she knew that they would give it the honour that such beauty deserved.

Duo awoke to a soft voice and the sensation of someone stroking his hair. He felt at peace because his soldier's instincts told him that he was safe, "in her sepulchre by the sea." The line sounded comfortable as if he remembered it but he knew he had not heard it before.

His head was pillowed on Deakon's thigh. "Don't send me away," he said and when he spoke it was thick with an accent that was not Deakon's own, it was slower, deeper, more nasal. "I petitioned hard to see you."

Duo knew that Deakon had given his body over to the dead that now inhabited him. That just as Verdande had seized control of his body then he could give it over to the dead if he wanted to.

"Who are you?" Duo said but the way he stroked the tip of his finger down the bridge of his nose was soothing and painfully familiar though he couldn't remember why.

"I thought you'd recognise me." Deakon said softly in that strangely familiar voice, "but it's been a long time."

Duo looked up at Deakon's eyes, they were like gold chips in his head which was something that he had never noticed before, but there was an intensity to him that he had never seen before. It looked like his own. "I wanted to tell you of a gift that I gave you. It is no use to you, not here, but when you return, when I can no longer speak to you. I gave you a gift, an honour. When the war is over, when you are safe, when the time comes to register you as a citizen," he stroked his face, "ask about Dixie's law."

"Mama," Duo said softly, surprised at who Deakon had allowed through his tightly prized control.

"They said that you were dead." Deakon told him, still running the very tip of his finger along the line of Duo's nose as Dixie obviously had when he was a baby. It was the sort of gesture that a mother gave a baby in her arms to soothe them. "They told me to give up, even your father." His voice was soft and thick with a strong American accent, "my little man, my little angel-child." Duo was silent and just listened. "So I took your papa's money and I petitioned and I fought, I gave you something, your blood will lead you home, my little man, your blood will lead you home."

"I don't understand."

"It tires him, to give me so much." Dixie said through Deakon's voice. "It is a great gift, to give me even this small amount of time with you. It costs nothing to pass on a message, which is all I asked, but this, this is too much for him. Even the powers of death can take their toll upon a human child. Remember, love, that your blood will bring you to your papa. The blood will out."

"I don't understand, Mama." Duo protested, half sure it was a dream, as Deakon wavered against the headboard, the last of his strength failing. "I don't understand."

"Le dieu de la mort est le sang de mon sang." He said in his heavily accented voice, "and the blood will bring you home." With a feathery kiss on his forehead Deakon collapsed over Duo.

Heero stepped into view. "He said he had a message for you." He said as he moved Deakon off to the side and helped Duo out of the bed. "He asked so sweetly, that I let him, had I realised that he would hurt you so."

"He didn't hurt me." Duo said, "He confused me. She wanted to tell me something, but I didn't know what it was she wanted to tell me. She said that my blood would bring me home. She said to mention Dixie's law."

"I don't know what that is." Heero said softly. "You still look tired."

"A little sleep hung-over," Duo conceded, "and a lot confused." He shrugged. "I want so many things, I don't even know what I want."

"I want to kiss you." Heero said a propos of nothing. "You look," he held out his hand, "wild, and free, I want to touch you to remind myself that you are still there, and not some fey creature to escape if I come too near."

Duo smiled. "I'd take you to bed if someone else wasn't hogging it." There was a laugh in his voice.

"He gave you a great gift." Heero said taking Duo's hand within his own, "to let your mother speak to you."

"Jealous?" Duo asked.

"Yes," Heero answered, "a little. Mina told me some things of my mother, but,"

Duo reached forward and kissed him, "all it does is whet the appetite for more. Did you ask Deakon of her?"

"There were so many things I wanted to ask Deakon," Heero said, "so many things that only he could make sense of, that I thought that it best not to ask him anything. He is," he looked at the boy unconscious on the bed, on his side with his feet sticking out the side of the bed, "did they tell you what he did at Muchine?"

Duo squeezed Heero's hand before he realised it and covered Deakon in the blanket. A quick glance at Fenrir and the wolf wearily stood up; stretched with a squeaking yawn and climbed up into the bed beside the boy. "Take me outside, Heero, I tire of this room, and you can tell me of Muchine and why of all the people in this world, it's a boy that can barely defend himself that frightens you so?"

Amitre was a holy city, a cosmopolitan city. It was a city where people travelled to in pilgrimage and never left. The Catedrale was a vast and imposing building but it sheltered Emithi's palace from the view of the arches. In its shadow was a cloister where a small pathway was covered; one side was heavy walls and the other were arches to reveal rose bushes cut back for the autumn and thick grass. There was a wrought iron bench and it was here that Heero led Duo, with one arm around his waist.

When they sat down Heero did it in such a way that he almost completely covered Duo with his body, so that Duo was resting against his warmth and curled into the circle of his arm. "Please," he said suddenly, "let me kiss you."

Duo smiled and bridged the slight gap between them, "I've never stopped you." He said against Heero's mouth and then pressed his lips against them, sliding them over Heero's and then pressing his tongue against them to garner entrance. Heero quickly obliged him. They sat like that for a short while, their fingers twisting in amongst each other's hair and trying to force each other together as much as they could.

When they pulled back Duo was pleasantly flushed and gasping for air. "I haven't kissed you since you went into the temple." Heero said, stroking his cheek with his palm, Duo leant into the heat of it.

"You make it sound like you wanted to. You could have kissed me anytime, Heero."

"Danev kept you locked up tight, when you weren't drugged, you were sleeping." Heero said, "and I wanted to curl along side you but I was scared that I would hurt you, and you were so angry, so full of rage that I might only love you because I had to, that I thought that you would reject my touch."

Duo sighed. "I wanted you to want to." He said softly, as Heero traced the tips of his fingers over his lips. "It's so much bigger than me, this thing between us, it scares me." He kissed the callused fingertips against his mouth, "it scares me so much."

"I would take that fear from you." Heero said.

"And I would let you." Duo told him honestly. "It's so big, and terrifies me so much that sometimes I can't even breathe. Sometimes I think I want to be sick but you're there and it doesn't matter, and the idea that you had no choice in the matter made me sick to my very bones." He shifted slightly and laid his head on Heero's thigh, and gave himself over to the stroking hand. "You are my rock, you are all that keeps me sane and you are the one driving me mad."

"I understand." Heero said, "it is like I am drowning and I don't know whether your hand is pulling me up and pushing me under and sometimes all I know is that I want to touch you and never stop." His hand was warm though the air was cool. "Sometimes I get a fire in my blood like I will burst into flames and all I want to do is touch you and move against you until I explode."

"Like you did that night in Dathyl?" Duo asked softly. There was no recrimination in his voice.

"The wine made me bold, my control fell away, I could not help myself. You should have stopped me." His hand still stroked his face, "and then you curled up against me the next day, you teased me and smiled at me and I felt like I was born anew in your touch."

"You don't talk much," Duo said, "but when you do you know how to woo a boy." Heero offered him a small, slight smile. It was a genuine smile and Duo wanted to bask in it. "Sometimes," Duo said rubbing his cheek against Heero's thigh, "sometimes I get that fire in my blood too, and I like you touching me." He looked up at Heero with mischief in his eyes, "sometimes, I want to ask just how to make you explode, I think if we finish this," He took Heero's hand in his own, "if I give myself to you totally, if you give yourself to me, then we'll understand, and sometimes," he looked saddened by it, "I wonder if that will be the thing to drive me mad."

"Sometimes, I think that too, and it scares me. I wonder what will happen if you lose control. Bunny told me what happened in Muchine and I felt the cold sickness in my stomach that it might happen to you. I remember what happened in Samrath when you called those creatures. Sometimes I am scared of you, and sometimes I want to bask in your strength.

"I am your shield and I am terrified of you and drawn to you in equal measure."

Duo offered him a bright and sunny smile. "It's easier to talk to Trowa, to tell him how scared I am, what I want, because I don't love him the way that I love you."

Heero sighed. "I understand that," he took another deep breath as he searched for the words, "when I was a boy I was looked after by an assassin, and at night, when I was in my bed, he would tell me stories, such beautiful stories. I always wanted to tell them to you, we always talked instead." For the first time in Duo's knowledge Heero looked very young and vulnerable. "Let me tell you a story, one of the beautiful stories that Odin used to tell me."

"In the beginning," he said softly, "there were the gods, there were many gods but no one to worship them, so they gathered together and made a great council to decide what was to be done about it." He was stroking Duo's hair softly, the great length of it gone so that it was now as short as his own. "So they gathered together all of their virtues and out of clay they made a race of people, breathing into them souls, and wisdom and goodness.

"They called them the golden people.

"Now the golden people were good and just, but they were devoted to their gods so much that they gave themselves no life apart from the gods. They hunted only to perform sacrifice to the gods and they died.

"This caused a terrible problem for the gods, so they gathered their council again and took the clay and the souls and they created a second race of people, but this time they gave them no virtues, and gave them hunger and breathed life into them.

"They called them the silver people.

"Now where the golden people were good and just, the silver people were lawless and wild and did war upon themselves, and just like the golden people before them they died.

"The council of the gods was consternated, and argued for a long time. Eventually a compromise was reached and they took the clay and split it in half and gave some people great virtue, and some people great hunger. But they could make no more souls, so they took each soul and tore it in two, giving half to each figure of clay to breathe life into it.

"So every person in the world has half a soul and when they meet that person that has the other half of their soul the soul knows."

"Soul mates." Duo said calmly.

"Yes," Heero said, "but just because someone is the mate of your soul does not mean that they build the fire inside you, that they cause this terror and sickness." He bent down so that his face was close to Duo. "I envy Trowa because I believe that he is your soul mate, but that does not make him first in your heart."

"You own that."

"I know, but it doesn't mean that I don't envy him."

"Even if he is my soul mate," Duo said impishly, "you are my Senshisha, my sword and my shield," he turned his face up for a kiss, "and you are the fire in my belly." Heero laughed a he settled into the kiss Duo offered him.


	28. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 28

The Cadacus had managed through some dedicated argument managed to convince Emithi and Danev that the best course of action was to take both Deakon and Duo to Meirin where they could learn to use their gifts without serious damage to her town. She was loath to let them go but with so many advantages to her case despite being the Bishop of Amitre she had to cede the point. However she did have her own stipulations, Trowa, Bunny and Quatre were to stay under her care, because they weren't specifically linked to Meirin and he couldn't override her on them.

She arranged a boat to take them from the city of Romaine to Jimpachi and then onwards to Meirin, Aia asked if she could remain behind and the Cadacus allowed it as long as Fenrir travelled with them. She got them tailors because "boys grow so much at that age," and made sure she fed them enough for five. She treated each of them like her own sons, a fact ratified by her own son, Devlin, and when they finally left her care in a large carriage belonging to her it was with a sense of both relief and regret.

She mothered them, and to boys who had never known such attention it was new and wondrous, but also stifling. Devlin, as Deakon's Senshisha, travelled with them, and Jored because the Cadacus' convincing argument put him outside the reach of his father's men who might try to kill him.

The boat fascinated Duo as being something out of what he considered to be a pirate story; his exclamation of "a pirate ship" had upset the captain and made Heero laugh. None of the others seemed to know what it was that Heero found so amusing in the captain's foul temper.

The desert slipped by them as they travelled, almost hugging the curve of the land around the city of Danev. The City of the Damned looked almost peaceful from the boat but Duo could see the gathered dead that haunted the city, and clutched at Heero's arm. It was night and to him they were shining silver stars along the houses and cities.

"The city is so lost," he said quietly as Heero wrapped himself around him, "all those people massacred and there is nothing I can do to ease them, almost all the Ladies of Meirin visited there and couldn't soothe their anger and rage and pain."

"I know, love," Heero said quietly, "you want to help them, but even if we could convince the ship to dock you couldn't help them."

Duo just leaned back into Heero's arms, "I'm scared."

Heero rubbed his face into Duo's short hair in a soothing gesture, "I know, love, I know, and I understand."

"You can't go there," Deakon said quietly from where he sat on the deck with his legs through the railing at the side, "it calls and it calls but when we go there it just drives us away. She's so sad."

"It doesn't mean I don't want to." Duo told him, he disentangled himself from Heero's arms and stood directly behind Deakon, his hands resting on his head, "She's so lonely, she won't let them go."

"Who is she?" Heero asked.

"The Lady of Danev." Deakon said quietly, "she would have been like us but for the massacres, they killed him, they killed him and left her alone so she surrounded herself with the dead."

"Lady Vorador," Duo said listening to the name that the dead chanted on the wind, "only she can free them and she never will, she's so alone, immortal and alone."

Heero didn't know what to say so he said nothing, he just took Duo's hand in his own, "go inside, Deakon, Jored will worry if you are up too late alone." He told him, "It is late. It is best that you go to bed, we shall have passed this terrible place by morning."

Deakon offered him a ghostly smile, a smile that looked as if he might at any moment burst into tears or fly into a thousand pieces. "You truly are a Senshisha," he said, "you watch over me, Mina has such lovely things to say about you, I wish you could see yourself with the love your dead do."

Heero said nothing for a moment, "my dead are silent to me," he said quietly, "but I thank you for telling me. Now it is best that you retire, Jored is foul tempered in the morning when forced to sleep alone and I have no interest in listening to him complain before my first cup of kir."

Deakon climbed up and laid a soft kiss on Heero's cheek. "You are as sweet as a candy." Deakon said with a smile, "how lucky, Duo, that you got there first, I would have stolen him away and left you with Devlin." Then he left with soft steps into the underbelly of the ship where the cabins were.

"He's teasing you, you know." Duo said quietly then took Heero's hand, "it's time to go to bed." He said, "we can discuss the city in the morning."

The gods of death had told Duo that death and dreams were interwoven, that dreams of the dead were the only way that normal people could see the dead, but it also meant that he was to treasure his own dreams because it was the dead talking to him in a way that they couldn't normally. After those that the dead haunted passed on the dead themselves were undone, they travelled to the next land, but in dreams they talked to the lords and ladies of Meirin because they couldn't any other way. The dead warned Duo of the dead of Danev but hoped that Heero's very presence would calm him.

They were wrong.

He dreamt of Danev before the fall. He dreamt of the Lady Vorador in her prime. She was beautiful, with long white hair that trailed behind her. She wore a corseted dress with a rich fur stole. She stood in the tower of Danev in front of the balcony looking out over her city.

The door opened behind her and she turned with her long white hair and she smiled and it was like starlight. She was beautiful and the man in the doorway was tall and strong. He had thick features and a clear forehead. His eyes were like cave sitters under heavy brows and Duo knew that this was her Senboshi, her star knight just as Heero was his own knight. And she loved him, she loved him completely, there was no doubt in her mind at all that she loved him. She loved him with the whole of her being. And as he looked at her Duo knew that he loved her too.

She almost threw herself into his arms; his hands were strong and firm, coarse and dark. His fingernails were rough and broken, but she tilted up her face to kiss him. He had dark hair that was long about his face and he wore golden armour that her white hands reached up under. She appeared to be made of starlight and he of earth but his eyes betrayed him, they were the same pale candied green as Tobin's. Whoever the Senboshi was Duo knew him for a D'Cevni.

He smelt of cordite and rain as he pushed her back to her bed and she went gladly, his tongue in her mouth and his hands on the curve of her hips. He undid his armour with practised speed throwing it aside as he made love to her, he didn't undo her dress as much as push it out of the way to give his hands and his mouth room to play and then as he sank into her the vision subtly altered.

She watched from the tower balcony as the Dread Pirate stormed the bay and her Senboshi, and she never thought of him as anything but her Senboshi if he had a name she did not use it, brought his cadre of armed men against them.

He could feel the sensation of him slipping and sliding inside him into parts he didn't have as he watched, unable to act, as her Senboshi was cut down. She ran, ran into the tower as her orgasm bubbled through him, he felt it at the same time he felt her bare feet against the cold stone steps of the room that she had never left. He felt the weight of her Senboshi against him as she ran and ran, unable to do anything as she entered the heart of the tower. Just like the ladies of Meirin she called it the Aegis.

It enveloped her, it destroyed her and she was reborn in its power. Outside her people were being massacred but she was reborn and through it all she felt the slip slide of him inside her.

Duo woke with his back against Heero's chest and wedged into the gap between him and the ship's wall. He was hard.

He wasn't just hard he was so hard he thought he'd burst as he felt the lingering touch of Lady Vorador and her Senboshi on his skin.

Heero was asleep and there was no way that he could get out from the bed, so he began to think the unsexiest thoughts he could think of. He could smell Heero- that wonderfully calm scent of cut grass and cordite and his erection was not giving up. He was going to have

He rolled over slightly shifting his thigh back so that he could touch himself. He pushed his fist into his mouth and the other ran lightly over his hardness. After a few quick jerks he felt the lingering feel of Heero's fingertips on his hip and his face pressed against his own. "Shush," Heero said softly, "you hold yourself back so much, let it go, shush, my love, shush, and let it go."

He rolled over so that his face was buried in the curve of Heero's neck as his hand moved back and forth, biting back gasps and moans as Heero shushed him and stroked his hair and cheek and his breath against him. He came jerking and weeping into Heero's neck and Heero just enfolded him into his arms as the tears came and came and came. He fell asleep like that, with Heero's hands on his back and he didn't dream of Vorador born again of starlight in the Aegis of her tower, he didn't dream of the blood of her D'Cevni Senboshi spilled upon the shores of her bay, he didn't dream of Heero. He didn't dream at all.


	29. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 29

Jimpachi was a desert city of white walls and coloured mosaics. Women travelled the streets on chairs carried aloft by oiled men in satin. The roads were packed dirt and gravel, and the wind was thick with sand. Duo jumped down from the carriage with an excited yelp, "it's like a story book," he exulted grabbing Heero by the hand, "where are the animal gods? And the mummies?" Deakon lowered his head in shame, there really was no taking Duo anywhere.

Jimpachi was a satrapy caught between the desert nations and Meirin, which allowed it certain privileges and certain obligations. It was the city of secrets and many things were kept hidden by the silver mask of the Satrap, Vashti.

Vashti wore shimmering, almost transparent satin and her hair was a mass of tight black braids but the only mark of her eminence was the silver mask she wore, it was utterly expressionless except for a silver tear on one cheek. Deakon remembered the beautiful girl she had been before her mother had died and she had taken the throne, and felt a pang of sorrow that such beauty might be hidden behind the null mask of Jimpachi.

"Lords of Meirin," she said in a voice that was a sad whisper, "welcome to my humble home, it is sad that whenever you visit our small city that it is only in passing." Deakon could hear the tremble in her voice and knew it was badly suppressed but he said nothing.

"You poor child," Duo said tilting his head to listen to the dead, "you're so very lonely." He reached out but stopped as if he knew it was forbidden to touch her, especially in public, "you fulfil a role lost to history and no one has even bothered to tell you why, but still you assumed the mask because the alternative was terrible." He stepped forward and offered her a little smile, "your tower has fallen," he said and took the edges of the mask, "you don't need to hide." And he pulled off the mask.

Vashti made a little cry and covered her face with her hands, "it's okay," Duo said softly, and held the mask out in open hands, "you don't need to hide, we will keep the secrets for you."

Vashti looked at him through her hands before she snatched back the mask and put it on. "It's my burden," she whispered, "and it will be my daughter's, and her daughter's, we are the Satrap of Jimpachi." Then placing the mask back on her face, "none of us are singular, Lord of Meirin, we never had that luxury. Thank you for offering to keep my burden but it is mine."

Duo reached up and kissed the metal forehead, "she loves you very much," he whispered for her ears alone, "thank you for your kindness to the House of Meirin," he said more formally, "I am young and the young often make faux pas," she didn't recognise the word, he could tell that though the mask kept her expression still and neutered. "I am young," he repeated, "and I make mistakes, the dead try to guide me," he was grinning at her, "but that doesn't mean I listen, you're too beautiful to wear that mask, I know the secret of this place, and I can feel it in the stones, the dead sing it to me in soft voices like memories, choose a husband, Vashti, have some joy in this place. It is more a mausoleum than Halcyon."

Vashti finally stiffened at that, "I am the Satrap of Jimpachi," she said.

Deakon could almost see Achren, one of the three spirits that clung to Duo, she was a watery wraith in a red dress with blood-stained hair and half her handsome beauty rotted to nothing. He couldn't hear what she whispered though. Duo offered her that winning smile again, tilting his head to better listen to her counsel. "I have overstepped the boundaries between our two Houses," he said in a soft formal tone. "My apologies to the Satrap and to her citizens, tell me what recompense I owe such as she for the slight."

"You shouldn't listen to her," Deakon said suddenly, surprising himself. "She has an agenda, My Lady Satrap," he bowed to Vashti, "I knew your mother, though only briefly."

"My sister murdered my husband," Vashti said turning back to face her throne, "and she murdered my child in it's cradle, though it was a son and did not threaten the rule of succession. She still remained my heir, would you still take my mask and make me unable to do what must be done."

The armoured maiden appeared beside Duo, stroking his short hair and whispering. "I am the Lord of Meirin," he said, "I can perform the execution. She has wronged your house and all that you love, but I can remove the sin from your hands, fratricide is terrible even when justified. She has counted these past months on your inability to act against her. I have no such compunction."

"Duo," Heero gasped.

"It is his right," the Cadacus corrected, "as lord of Meirin."

Vashti seemed to wither under the offer. "Thank you," she said finally.

"I'll do it," Deakon said, "I've," he stopped.

Duo smiled, "and so have I."

The bathhouse of Jimpachi was surprising because rather than the open pools of water that Deakon was used to the baths of Jimpachi were rooms full of perfumed steam and a fountain of cold water used to wash away the sweat. Devlin informed him it was because they were so close to the desert that water was valuable. The baths were open to the entire palace but the attendant had given them both soft woven towels to wrap around their waists. Josian had had no trouble with his, wrapping it around and then pulling the ties into a strong knot but Deakon couldn't tie it at all, forcing a smirking Jored to do it for him.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Jored asked as they sat side by side on a long stone bench, a few men and women sat here and there throughout the rooms.

"We've been on that boat without bathing facilities for weeks." Deakon ventured with a grin

Jored grinned back. With the sweat slicking his skin it looked as if he was made of cast gold, and his hair was lank at the back of his neck. "No, I mean this one."

Deakon shook his head.

"Look." Josian pointed at the wall. There was an image there, a mural that almost completely circled the room, carved into the dark grey stone. It told a story in a single picture starting at the door and ending just before it had come full circle. "That is the only depiction in the world of the Lord of Meirin." He lowered his voice to an almost whisper, one of the servants mentioned it when they showed me to my rooms.

"A prophecy?" Deakon asked, he had seen the prophecies in the Aegis and it looked nothing like that.

"No." Josian said, "Duo's story. Look, there by the door, see how the wizard is at his table and there is a darkness." Deakon traced Jored's outstretched finger. "That is Adam D'Cevni, he was a great wizard." He took a sigh, thinking of his words, "he didn't call himself that, he said he was an alchemist, and one day through some miscalculation he managed to open a door to the aether." He stopped searching for the word, "and plucked out a pair of daemons. Of course, his adoptive father didn't see it like that, he thought that Adam had just stolen them from somewhere and paid them to go along with it." Deakon nodded, it was the more plausible answer. "They were put up in Halcyon and then one of them introduced himself as Shinigami." He wiped a bead of sweat that was trickling down his forehead before it ran into his eye. "See, there, where the light falls on one of them to reflect on the other." Deakon nodded, "that's the artist's impression of that, so, as there was a Lady of Meirin he was tested and found to be able to speak to the dead, like you can." Deakon nodded again, "you can see it there."

Jored stopped for a moment, thinking. "As I said there were two of them, the Tennosha, or Lord of Meirin, and his guardian, the Senshisha who was devoted to him and ever so slightly scary. They were invited to Dramathen for the Day of the Dead and went but whilst they were there the Seraphim attacked the imperial palace and forced both the then Lady of Meirin and the two daemons to flee into the night. Their travels took them to Samrath."

"Duo never told me this." Deakon said looking at the mural.

"I know," Jored said, "I got Josian drunk once and he told me, I think they were there before. Tobin was forever telling us he was older than he looked." He looked around the room, the one other person was sat far from them with Devlin sat with his arms crossed looking imposing, then he leant forward and snuck a kiss from Deakon's lips. It was lingering and tasted of salt and steam and the perfumed oils in the air. "I spoke to Heero this morning," Jored said when he pulled back, Deakon's head on his shoulder, "I've never known a couple more desperate to be together with no idea how to get on with it." He laughed, "he told me all these wonderful things he wanted to say to Duo but didn't know how."

"And what did you do?"

"I told him to tell him, to use the words he used to me, that Duo loved him and he'd understand if he was nervous."

Deakon smiled up at his lover, "you're too kind-hearted, I want to lock them in a room together and see what happens, either they'll make love or kill the other."

"Isn't that the senshisha vow?" Jored asked with a laugh, "that they'll kill the other."

"No," Deakon said batting him on the arm, "its no sword will kill you unless it be mine."

Duo actually turned out to be a rather good shot with the vase on the table beside him. Heero was caught between trying to explain, ducking or seeing if he could make it to Meirin on foot. It had been like this for an hour. Duo screamed something unintelligible and then threw a silver cup full of kir at him. The Cadacus stepped into the doorway and grabbed Heero by the neck, in two paces he had Duo as well and threw them both down on the large cushion. "No screaming," he said firmly, crossing his arms across his chest, "no yelling, no fighting, and Duo," he narrowed his black eyes, "no biting. Now, slowly, tell me what happened." Duo looked at Heero and scowled, Heero just looked baffled. The Cadacus started counting under his breath.

"I told him how I felt." Heero said bluntly.

The Cadacus raised a black eyebrow.

"No, you told me what Jored told you to tell me. You bring me someone else's words of love."

The Cadacus started counting again and then took a deep breath though he didn't need the air. "Heero," he said trying his best to stay calm, "tell me what happened on your side."

"I was with Jored this morning," Heero said looking at the floor, "and I was upset so he asked me if something was wrong. I told him that I was afraid to tell Duo how I felt." He stopped.

"And he told you what to say." Duo snapped.

"Duo," the Cadacus hissed. Duo went quiet.

"I told him that I wanted to venerate him, that I wanted to worship all of him, from the skin at the back of his knees to the space between his toes. He told me tell this to Duo and not to keep it to myself. So I did." He looked ashamed more than anything, "and Duo asked me if Jored had told me to say it and I said yes because he had."

The Cadacus considered breaking something, preferably one of them. "Idiots, you're idiots, the pair of you." He snapped. "Duo, Jored told Heero to repeat what he had already said, that doesn't mean he went to Jored to find out the words to say. Now both of you, apologise." He leaned over them in what he hoped was a menacing manner.

"I'm sorry," Duo said, and Heero managed it at the same time, both of them genuinely contrite. The Cadacus rolled his eyes and was silently grateful that he was dead because otherwise these two would have been the death of him. He began to understand the Senshisha vow because he was quite certain that they were going to kill each other long before they actually came to terms with how they felt.

Author's Note:

The Oath – "no sword will kill you unless it be mine," is actually an old lover's oath, it's ancient but more than that I couldn't tell you simply because I don't know, when you find it it's listed as anonymous. I didn't want to take credit for it because it's not mine.


	30. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Ribbon and the Ring 30/?

Emithi moved her court to Dathyl of the Jetties, at the repeated bequest of both Tobin and Josian, where she had a large townhouse in the suburbs of Ashton. It was a small palace as these things were measured but large enough for a lady of her stature. Although in her close household she was Emithi and she was very much mother to all who crossed her path and sometimes a wanton woman who teased and flirted, outside of it she was the Bishop of Amitre with all that that entailed. "You," she said pushing Trowa's hair back to reveal his face, "you shall be my page," then she grinned, "and listen to everything that the people tell me and tell me the truth of it, and you," she turned to Quatre will be my fool and wait on me and my pleasure."

"I can't allow it," Danev said, "the boy is crippled with headaches, if he was to attend you he might collapse, it is bad for his health and I will not allow it." He stood up to his full height before the Bishop, for in such things Emithi was the bishop and not the woman with her name, a mere chattel with barely a name to commend him and lands that he was unable to claim for himself. "There is a much better doctor than me in Dramathen, he might be able to cure the boy's headaches, I ask leave to bring him there."

They were settled in the city and Trowa found himself busy with small tasks that allowed him into places that a guest of the bishop could not attend. Emithi had understood that he might quickly bore of the life of a young noble, because it seemed that they were feckless and did little until late afternoon where they wandered the streets in bright colours and bullied and bluffed about the town before falling into one of the city's many brothels until dawn when they rolled home full of liquor and perfumed oils.

The pages often worked much harder than Emithi worked Trowa, he carried messages and was given small favours for his effort, the smiles of older ladies and the kisses of maidens. He soon discovered Dathyl was a lusty town. He heard rumours and allegiances all of which he gladly passed back to Emithi or her seneschal, a dusty old man with a sharp tongue and a lingering eye.

His evenings he spent with the lady Calydon, she was not one for the perfumed bowers of most of the ladies, but the scents that lingered in her hair were those of leather and steel. Sometimes she welcomed him into her bed and sometimes she found a quiet corner for them to clash with swords. She fascinated him, like deadly things are wont to do, and often he felt his fingertips lingering on the terrible scar on her back of which she would not speak. Like Emithi she would push back his bangs to stare into his eyes, "you are too handsome," she'd laugh, "to hide behind all that hair, now come at me, if you're man enough." Sometimes the sparring ended in kisses, sometimes in blows. But if she tore his livery, as sometimes she did, Emithi replaced it with nary a question as to why. Within a few weeks Trowa had found himself slipped into a comfortable life and had no intention to change it.

"I'm to go to Dramathen." Quatre said one morning, Emithi had put the two of them into the same bed, a wide affair piled high with furs and soft sheets, Quatre curled up in the corner with a stuffed fur bundled up in his arms and it was not like sharing the bed at all. He was sprawled out, as much as he could with such a tiny frame, in the bed like he had been debauched with a pink flush to his cheeks and chest. "Danev is to take me to see the princess, apparently she will be able to cure my headaches."

"Where is Dramathen?" Trowa asked.

"To the north, it is the capital of the empire." Quatre said, "Duo said that he'd been there and that the people were nice enough, but this princess is apparently some great doctor according to Danev." He scratched at his chest without a thought of how he might look or that he might be watched, "and she will know how to fix my headaches and then I can come back and actually be good for something other than fainting."

Trowa said nothing.

"I don't know if you're to come with me, but I'm to go at the end of the week, Danev has booked a carriage and everything. I'm to check some things with Sir Cameron, which means seeing Wufei, who won't want to be separated from his books given half a chance." He sat up, his skin had a transparent sheen to it in the thin light that came through the curtains and a for a long moment Trowa wondered what his skin would taste like, of how such soft looking skin would feel under his fingers but then he thought of Calydon's lips which were like slices of poisoned fruit and her skin which was like soft butter tanned leather and Quatre no longer held an interest for him because he did not maintain that same sense that he might lash out at any moment and kill him. Any lust he had for Quatre in that moment was fleeting. It seemed Quatre could tell, because he twisted in such a way that the lines of his ribs were on show and the bowl of his hips and a few wisps of silvery blonde pubic hair.

The wave of lust that rolled over Trowa surprised him because he had not thought that Quatre attracted him that way. He had no compunctions over where his hungers found him, male or female he didn't care, he had sampled both, but he was attached to Calydon, though he was loathe to call it love. Quatre lolled back on the bed revealing the bowl of his stomach, "I will probably be in Dramathen for a long time, Danev said it will be several weeks just to travel there, even with the weather so clement." He stretched hollowing out the skin beneath his ribs and across his stomach and Trowa felt his mouth water, part of him wondered if Quatre knew exactly what it was that he was doing. Trowa stepped up and fastened the latch on the door. If Quatre had been so kind as to offer who was he to refuse such a gift.

When he woke Trowa was bone-driven and tired, he was slick with sweat and dried semen, and his hair had been swept back from his face so as not to disturb him.

Folded on the pillow was a note which he picked up by slightly turning and then settling back into the well of his own body heat, his body was heavy and slack. He wasn't sure how many times he and Quatre had fucked, his body ached, and the room stunk of sex. He opened the page. "My dearest Trowa, my apologies for using you this way, but I would not travel to Dramathen without something with which to remember you. I do not know when I will return but I hoped that you would feel my lust for you. I won't hold out hope that there will be more than this, but thank you.

Yours, Quatre."


	31. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 31

Wufei found he liked his new life of order, routine and study with the large and imposing Sir Cameron. He awoke just before dawn and wandered down to the gate to collect the first of two food baskets deposited with the guards and carried it back to the library where he set them out breakfast. Somehow the Seraphim, who fed Sir Cameron, had discovered that he had only one student now for the portions had shrunk but there was still more than enough for two. There was fresh bread and cheese and once a week there was a fresh tin of kir. There was a small allowance for the day, never more than a few silver shillings, but some days it was less, some days more. After breakfast he would perform his katas, for Sir Cameron believed for the mind to work to its best it must also follow that the body worked at its best.

After his workout, which could last anywhere up to three hours, he would take either a basket, or a handcart to the university, where he had been signed up under false pretence, to the library, which overwhelmed even him, the book binders, the scribes, or all of them, with a chit from Sir Cameron and coin enough to pay for what he needed. Once he carried a book to the scribes to have it copied, but mostly he just collected the pages that they had copied. He began, at that point, most every day, to wonder how a printing press worked at it's most basic.

As he trundled through the streets in a heavy cloak, as winter settled about the city, he would call at one of the street vendors, a pastry stall where he was served by the same girl, a rosy faced girl with hair like wild curling fire that was inexpertly tied back in a braid and a smile that lit up her face like a console. He always bought the same thing, two cheese and vegetable pastries, and two lamb and mint and paid the tuppence with a smile. The girl sometimes engaged him in conversation, always smiling as her uncle, she was adamant he was her uncle and not her father, frowned down at them. He volunteered little of himself but he did quickly learn that the pretty girl's name was Mae.

It was often late afternoon by the time he returned, picking up the second food basket and ignoring the jibes of the Garvem at the gate, or the workmen, hanging it on his arm as he negotiated his handcart full of books.

He would lay out the food and wine, with the pasties he had bought in town, one of each for each of them, and then when the fire was up in the little room that he and Sir Cameron shared, he would find sir Cameron bundled up in some mountain of books and the two of them would eat, often in silence.

The evenings were spent copying out Sir Cameron's notes in shorthand and Wufei knew that he was the student and assistant of the foremost mind in the realm and as his mind grew with the knowledge of the history of this strange world he knew he was happy.

"Sir Cameron," he asked one night in his cot, although the palace was full of wondrous bedrooms and vast beds he liked his soldier's cot, Sir Cameron, on the other hand, claiming a bad back from years of study where he was hunched over, slept on a straw mattress on the floor, "I think I have a way to reproduce the books quicker."

Sir Cameron rolled unto his side to look at him. "Really?"

"Yes," he said, "but I'd need someone to take over my duties for a few days whilst I work out the mechanics of it. I think we could make a press that imprints the writing unto the pages as many times as we need. We had them in my world, they were called printing presses."

Sir Cameron made a thinking noise and was silent long enough that Wufei thought he might have fallen asleep. "Go to the university tomorrow, you are a fellow there, you can ask for three students to help with your study. I'm sure at least one of them could run around the city for me." There was another silence as Sir Cameron thought to himself with a harrumphing noise, "of course, who then, is going to get the smiles of the lovely Mae?"

Wufei said nothing, Sir Cameron's teasing was well intentioned and it didn't hurt at all when he laughed. But when Wufei finally did sleep he kept seeing the bonny grey eyes and wild fire hair of Mae, and her competent hands, hands reddened from work, and slowly in dreams her wild red hair became strong black hair, her mischievous eyes grew deadly serious and she was MeiLan, stood in Mae's place. Even in dreams Wufei made the dread resolution not to see her again.

The university of Dathyl of the Jetties was among the premier learning institutions of the world, and it made Wufei feel very small and stupid. It was a vast black stone building that looked more like a fortification than a school. It was burrowed through with offices and catacombs and thin winding corridors so that is resembled nothing more than a rabbit warren and was affectionately called, by the people of the city, the Rathole because of it.

Wufei vaguely knew his way around, he wore a heavy cloak and sturdy clothes were most of the people who milled about were wearing the sort of student's gowns that had vanished from his own world centuries before. "You lad," one of the professors, recognisable by the stole around his neck, "here, help me with this." He had in his arms a vast pile of books that were wedged under his chin and he was trying, rather unsuccessfully to negotiate them somewhere.

Wufei looked at him. "No," he said, "I'm here on official business, I'm not a student, I'm looking for the bursar's office."

The professor blinked once in shock, then again, "bloody pages," he snapped, "all mouth these days, it wasn't like this when I was a boy." Wufei rolled his eyes before walking away.

The bursar's office was in a part of the Rathole called the Alister D'Cevni wing which was a tall addition that was still considered part of the new building, despite being over five hundred years old. It contained the residences and offices of the higher echelons of the university staff including the bursar, the arch chancellor, the chancellor and the Dean, who was a shadowy figure who hadn't been seen outside his bedroom in ten years.

The bursar was one of those hugely fat men that nature expects to be jolly and so had in defiance become a rather crotchety man whose mood could be predicted by the colour his ears, which stood at right angles from his bald head, turned moments before the explosion. He had a vein in his neck which throbbed so violently that most had come to the conclusion that it was about to explode at any moment.

Wufei knocked and when prompted entered. He didn't like dealing with the Bursar, something he had only done before to get his signature, to later discover he had been signed up at the university on some strange study that meant no one questioned him staying with Sir Cameron.

The bursar glared at him under the portrait of a handsome man with sharp green eyes, a strong nose and white streaks at either temple that he knew enough history to recognise now as Alister D'Cevni. "Yes," the bursar growled. He didn't speak much, he was perpetually annoyed that he existed and growled instead.

"I have a proposition for the university." Wufei answered.

"And you'll be wanting money, I suppose, and sponsorship, you'll need someone to countersign your application to the university." The bursar lowered his eyes back to his paperwork.

"I'm already enrolled, I'm a fellow." Wufei corrected him, "sponsored by Emithi of Amitre and Sir Cameron for outstanding achievements in my field." Wufei knew that was what it said on his application, he just didn't know what it meant.

The vein on the bursar's neck started to throb. "You're awfully young. You sure, what's your name, lad?"

"Chang Wufei."

The bursar stood up and lifted a large and rather heavy book down from atop a cabinet and dumped it on the desk where it landed with a heavy thumb. He opened a page towards the end and scanned it. "I don't have you here." He said, looking a little pleased with himself.

"Look under Chang," Wufei said with a sigh.

The bursar pulled a ribbon on the appropriate page, there was a ribbon for every letter, and checked the list. It was the last name on the list but it was there, next to it was a series of figures and some empty columns. "K'so," the bursar swore, more amazed than disappointed, "you're in here, and you've got a fellowship." He sat down again, crossed his arms to prepare for negotiation. "So, what's your proposal and what do you need?"

"I've found a way to recreate pages of text in multiples quicker than the scribes can copy them and with fewer mistakes, but I'll need some funding for materials, and at least three students to help me with the grunt work." It was what he had practised with Sir Cameron.

"Really, and how would one go about this miracle, because let me tell you, we've tried chemicals."

Wufei smiled. On the edge of the bursar's desk was an apple, "May I?" He asked, the bursar nodded. Taking the pen from the desk he dipped it in the inkwell and wrote the word university on the peel of the apple, then pressed it down on the blotting pad where it copied the word out imperfectly. The bursar sat open mouthed in shock. "We can take wooden representations of the letters, cut backwards of course, and put them in a tray to recreate the page, then coat in ink and press on paper. I've pretty much got it down, but I will need some people to cut out the letters, to build the press, something like a mangle for drying clothes, and some students to help with the setting of the pages and to take over some of my duties for Sir Cameron, carrying books back and forth, that king of thing."

From a drawer in his desk the bursar took out a wax slate and made some quick calculations, checked the figures in the book only he understood, "you can do than on your study budget as is," he said, "the university gives you six hundred crowns a year for your research, and you want three students." He thought about it, "you can have five. However, if this works the university wants first use."

Wufei nodded, feeling quite proud of himself as he had taken Dathyl one step out of the dark ages.


	32. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 32

Quatre sat in the carriage staring out of the window as Aatoria rolled past him in dips and curls smattered with trees. Danev sat in the opposite seat, his legs curled up beside him on the wide cushioned bench more interested in his book than his companion. He had brought along several for Quatre but they had failed to pique his interest, so instead he lolled against the window and watched Aatoria roll past him. They had arranged to lodge in several manors along the way of their journey, E'berta, Cadarn, Caelum, Kinmokusei, Hoshi-ji then Duramatsen that the Aatorians called Dramathen. He rolled the names about on his tongue, trying to find the places where they fit in this new world.

"Danev," he said, Danev looked up from his book, "why are we going so far to see this doctor."

"She's not a doctor," Danev answered, "she's a princess, but she can solve your headaches and dreams, she knows more about what it is than I do, she is the world expert on it."

"Is she as old as Emithi?" Quatre asked, he had this image of this portly Darin maid in heavy kimono with long white hair and a cruel hand.

"No," Danev said, "she's as old as you are. The Lady Draima is very young to be so knowledgeable but she is the expert, she might even, when she's older, be a better doctor than the Lady Grace."

"Who is the Lady Grace?" Quatre asked.

Danev smiled to himself as he realised he had made a faux pas, "Your Heero met her, but she was a princess of Caelum who ran away from home to become a doctor, she walked the battlefields of the time and served with the Seraphim Angels to become the best doctor in the world. The man she married had had his throat slit and she sewed it shut, she saved his life when she was no older than you. Tobin knew her."

"Tobin knew all the women in Aatoria." Quatre groused.

Danev laughed. "You're probably right." He said, "but he doesn't know the Lady Draima, although Gereint knows her sister, the Princess Ekeade."

"I don't know these people." Quatre said quietly.

"I know," Danev said a little sadly, "Do you feel up to a small history lesson? The Court of the Winds is obsessed with propriety and who is related to who and who has power that way, you will need to know it before we get there but there is no real hurry."

Quatre thought about it for a moment, "there is no time like the present."

Danev lifted the strip of ribbon he was using as a bookmark and closed his book. "Before I was born, when Emithi was young," he had a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "back hundreds of years ago," and Quatre laughed because he knew Danev was teasing him, "there was a wizard, an onmyoji, a sorcerer called Taira Nicol."

"Deakon's Taira." Quatre interrupted.

Danev bit his lip, "it's a big clan," he said, "the Darin are superstitious, they suffered badly in the Draima Wars, centuries ago, and so when he rose they thought he might be a witch, but he wasn't, he had powers they had never seen, he could command flesh like water, he could raise storms and fell trees just by willing it. He was apparently very fearsome and he united the clans and brought them against the emperor but did not unseat him. He used the emperor to bring his armies against Aatoria, well more specifically the Seraphim.

"Whilst he was there he forced the Princess Ekeade, the now emperor's older sister, into marriage with a general called Taira Yoshikatsu to maintain his control and brought her with him to the battlefield."

He paused for a moment. "No man is meant to contain the power that Taira Nicol did and he went mad, but not before he had kidnapped the heir to the Aatorian throne, the Princess Aeris, Deakon's mother, and forced her into marriage with his brother, Taira Hatsuharu."

Quatre nodded though he got the impression there was something else to this story than Danev let him know. Danev was hiding something but he didn't know.

"When the Senshi, the Darin army, met the Garvem it was with a reduced force just outside Amitre, most of them were on another field fighting the Seraphim, but the female Senshi, whose name I can't remember offhand, were caught in what's called a hammer and anvil," he stopped looking for a moment like he might explain the manoeuvre, but stopped himself, "it was a slaughter, all but their leaders were hung from the Arches." Quatre knew what that meant. "To try Taira Nicol's trick against him the Senshi leaders were forced into marriage under the law of Jheratay." He stopped for a moment, "one of them was my mother, Saaraphine of Melc, one was Jored's mother, Joanna La Luna, who was a scion of the imperial house, and the third married a primary statesman but was the bravest of the three killing him and herself."

"The Seraphim met the main force of the Senshi just outside Cadarn and there was a terrible battle, it lasted days and during it Gereint, who was just an errant, killed Yoshikatsu and took Lady Ekeade prisoner. He fell in love with her and she will have nothing to do with him because she loved her husband."

"But Taira Nicol turned on the emperor and presented him with a Taira bride, Mitsuki, and upon her he begat the Lady Draima, the youngest of the Emperor, Tayatomi's sisters. Empress Mitsuki died in childbed. With no other choice but surrender Taira Nicol destroyed himself and the next five years were spent mending what he had done. The Lady Ekeade and her sister, Draima, both went into exile in Shiro, the home of Yoshikatsu and Draima's mother, where he had taken Princess Aeris and where Deakon was born."

He paused for another long moment allowing Deakon to take in all the information.

"Taira Nicol was Deakon's father wasn't he?" Quatre said after a long time.

"There are those who suspect as much." He said, "but without the Princess Aeris we will never know and according to Deakon she is quite mad. We'll never really know, but as far as Deakon knows his father was the sword maker Taira Hatsuharu." It was clear that it had not stopped Quatre from deciding that Nicol and not Hatsuharu was Deakon's father and that might be the explanation for his strange powers.

"The Lady Draima is her name, like Nicol she is a witch, a majo, but unlike him, she can only control thoughts. She is one of the draimae that the Seraphim fight so hard to destroy."

"And how can she help these headaches and fainting."

"I think you can do what she does." Deakon said, "so she will test you and if I'm right she can teach you to control it, to use it."

The carriage driver called out that they had reached E'berta and had to make the climb down to the house themselves, as it was built half way down a hill.

"You do know," Danev said, "that the Lady Draima is also the Imperial Princess Celestial Sapphire and she is engaged to be married to Jored when they reach the age of majority at seventeen." Quatre blinked at that information. "It hasn't endeared him to them."

"And where do you stand in this?"

Danev smiled. "I am a doctor, I am neutral." Then the smile became a little vulpine, "I would be if not for my father and mother, they allied me to Jored before I was born."

"What did your mother do?"

"My mother," Danev climbed out of the carriage, "I have never met her, but my father," he stopped for a moment, "my father is the Seraphim Lord Sir Bedivere."

E'berta was exactly as Quatre had imagined it, a small shed like building that was carved into the hill hiding the best part of it's majesty to reveal it not to on comers but the afternoon sun. It was three levels, the top floor, the one that opened to the hill, being the smallest, comprising of a sitting room and two small servants' rooms. Then a tall curving staircase took his past the main bedrooms and down to the living area of two sitting rooms, a dining room and a large kitchen.

Tobin and Josian were sprawled in large cushioned chairs drinking wine and looked rather surprised to see them. They were both red faced and rather drunk. "Danny, my boy," Tobin said struggling to stand, "you brought me a present," Then he belched.

"Tobin, you said we could stay here on our way to Dramathen." Danev said lifting Tobin's arm from around his shoulders with a world weary patience.

"Did I," Tobin asked himself, "of course I did, Margie," he called out, "more wine, and supper for our guests, make up two beds." He leant in to Quatre, "has anyone ever told you that you look good enough to eat?" Quatre blushed into his hairline and Tobin's smile became distinctly predatory. "Hey, Jose, wanna go to Dramathen to see the princess? It's been a while."

Josian had his head cast back and was snoring off his drunk.

Tobin just laughed, "so come on, little boy, sit on my knee and tell me all about it."

Danev just shook his head and pulled up a chair encouraging Quatre to do the same. Quatre thought of Trowa who he had left behind, and how Tobin may have been drunk but he was very handsome, and sat on his knee instead.


	33. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 33

The Cadacus was of the opinion that he must have offended someone in a past life to find himself looking after not one teenage Lord of Meirin, but two. Both of them had completely separate issues and arguments. He wished he could drink to soothe his worries but it didn't work.

The Ladies of Jimpachi were patient and sat playing mah-jongg with him as the two boys frittered back and forth asking his advice on matters. The crown prince of Dathyl would ask him questions, but they were simple ones, and the young Senshisha tended to avoided him. The Satrap of Jimpachi had arranged a public trial for her sister where the two Lords of Meirin would judge her of the crime of treason and if she was found guilty they would execute her. Deakon's questions were moral and asked the rightness of it, where Duo's were more about protocol and what should be done and worn in such a situation. He didn't really know which bothered him more.

The trial was for the morning and the Satrap had arranged for ladies to sit with the Cadacus all night because she knew he didn't sleep, but the four boys were tucked up in bed, Devlin, who had spent most of his time with Heero, was sat at the door of Deakon's room reading patiently and the Cadacus wondered which god he had offended that he could not even eat to relieve himself of some of the tension. He wanted to take this responsibility from them, but knew that they would both refuse him.

"Mamoru," Heero said from the door, he looked a little dishevelled, and sleep worn. It caused the Cadacus to worry because Heero never called him Mamoru unless he questioned something. "I was not expecting you to be here." He said calmly.

"And Duo?" the Cadacus asked.

"He is sleeping, I wanted something to drink and the water in our chambers is stale, I thought there might still be some of the fruit cordial in here." The Cadacus nodded and lifted the jug pouring out a cup for him. Heero took it gratefully, "I," he started, "may we talk for a few moments?" He asked.

"Certainly," The Cadacus said and waved away the veiled ladies who had occupied his time. "Anything in particular?"

"I wondered," Heero said, "I wondered," he stopped, "did you love the Lady Minako?" He asked.

The Cadacus was silent for a moment, "yes, I did, but she did not love me back, so it was moot." He looked at the boy who looked very young and vulnerable. "why?"

"Did it scare you?"

The Cadacus' demeanour softened. "Sometimes to my very core, sometimes I hated her as much as I loved her, and sometimes I just wanted to scream to let it all out, to take it all away, I would much rather have faced a thousand armed Garvem than be alone with her sometimes it felt." He knew that Heero would appreciate his honesty even if he questioned it himself.

"Thank you." Heero said and went to stand up.

"War isn't frightening if it's all you know," the Cadacus said, "and neither is death, but life," he said, "life going on for a long time still chills my bones and I am ancient, the concept of having spent that time with a Mina that loved me in return makes me feel nauseous."

"I know." Heero said, "thank you."

"It feels like you're going mad." The Cadacus said "and all you want to do is cling to them and fly to pieces knowing that they'd fly to pieces with you and you'd be one being but you can't."

"You understand," Heero said, "Devlin said that you would, he said you could help me with my doubts."

"Heero," the Cadacus said taking the now empty cup from him, "they are not doubts, they are fears, and there is no fear greater than fear itself." He offered him a smile, "Mina and I hated each other and drove each other to loathing and hatred and pain, you do not have that with Duo, go and kiss him and stay with him."

"Mamoru," Heero said, "If I were Duo I would hug you."

"I know." The Cadacus said. Nor did he regret it because he knew if he had had the same conversation with Duo it would have taken a lot more convincing. "Go on to bed, I'll be here if you need me."

"Thank you." Heero said before he returned to his bed.

Duo lay sprawled on his back in his sleeping pants, his skin shimmering in the lamp light from sweat and his hair in spikes about his head, his arms and legs were akimbo where he had spread to take up the best part of the bed in Heero's short absence. He was also awake, propped up on a pillow and he smiled at Heero when he saw him. He opened his arms to him and Heero felt himself smile as he crawled across the bed to him. Duo was hot and smelt of amber and frankincense and sweat. "Love you," he murmured into Heero's neck.

Heero wanted to sink into Duo, to be like the Cadacus had suggested, one being. "I know," he said and rolled unto his side as Duo tilted his head, still sleepy, to be kissed. Heero wondered how he could resist such an offer, how he could be expected to resist and kissed him.

Kissing Duo was often like drowning, it was like falling, but this time with the Cadacus' words in his ear it felt like being caught, as Duo tangled his fingers in his hair. He remembered the night in Halcyon what seemed like a lifetime ago when he had been drunk and he had given himself over to what his body wanted, and wondered why it was so wrong, when Duo was so willing and so beautiful and he loved him so much. The Cadacus was right, death held no fear for him, but Duo terrified him and the only way to overcome his fear was to face it, and his body wanted it and Duo would tell him to stop if it was too much. This was what love wanted, he thought, as he rolled Duo unto his back to kiss him better, and this was what he wanted.

It was fumbling and there was laughter as Duo arched up to help him slip off the sleeping pants, and the laughter went straight to his groin, Duo's hands were wonderfully wandering as they squeezed Heero's own ass, his hand down Heero's sleeping pants and then wriggled. Heero gasped and Duo chased the gasp with a kiss, "love you," he murmured against his mouth, his crotch was pressed against Duo's hip and Duo was erect as he took Heero's hand and moved it down. It was hot and dry, which Heero hadn't expected, and didn't feel like his own, which he thought that it would as he touched Duo and Duo kissed him, then started to tug at Heero's pants. Heero let go and rolled unto his back to wriggle out of them, flopping as Duo kept trying to distract him by kissing him, and heero didn't really want to stop him. "Love you," Duo kept repeating, "love you." Heero wanted to tell him the same but he couldn't find his voice, how could he when Duo was straddling him and naked and shining from sweat and oil and so joyous. He brought his hand down as Duo did and they began to touch each other, and themselves through proximity as Duo leaned down to kiss him and kiss him and thrust with his hips.

Duo came with a moan into Heero's mouth where Heero just grunted. Duo collapsed on his chest, fresh come almost gluing them together, "love you," Duo murmured before he fell asleep, softly breathing against Heero's neck. Heero looked at him fondly, taking the edge of the sheet that they had been given to cover themselves and wiped them mostly clean before he joined him in sleep.

"She didn't kill the baby." Deakon said looking at the sister of the Satrap, "but she killed your consort for what she considers the good of Jimpachi."

The Satrap revealed her discomfort by crossing her legs, Duo looked perplexed. "Your consort killed the child, he used a pillow."

The court was as perplexed as the Satrap, they had expected this to be a rather simple matter and had mostly come to see how the Lord of Meirin would kill someone, they all had new theories about this.

"We await on your judgment," Duo said.

"We will abide by your decision." Deakon said.

"Exile." The Satrap said, "take her from this place to never return."

"By your will," they said in unison.

"My Lords of Meirin, might I see you alone?" the satrap said. They both nodded, almost at the exact same time.

The private chamber was a small room with no windows and heavy tapestries hanging from the walls. "My sister's betrayal and that of my consort has left me weakened, I would ask that one of you step in as my consort until I have time to find one of my own."

Duo reached into his shirt and pulled out a ring on a length of black ribbon, "I'm already married," he said.

"I am not good consort material." Deakon said, "I cannot guarantee that I will not do here what happened at Muchine." Duo looked at him askance.

"I thought those stories were exaggerated."

"If there were," Deakon said, "it was not by much, I will be at Meirin, I will offer you what counsel I and those dead that advise me have to offer, Jimpachi is just a day from Meirin, the aegis will give you passage." He went to turn away. "I can not appease your loneliness and I have my own lover, time will heal all wounds, eventually, and what remains will be soothed by death." He took Duo's hand. "come, if we leave for Meirin we can be there by nightfall."

"I'm sorry, Vashti," Duo said, "that I can not give you more hope."

"Not all of us have Senshisha." The Satrap said sadly.

"You could always try and woo Devlin," Duo smiled, "he's a Senshisha and he is," he looked at Deakon who nodded, "unattached and he likes girls."

Vashti raised her head, "thank you for counsel, I will arrange a guard to see you to the bridge to Meirin."

"Thank you." Duo said and then walked over and hugged her, "not all of us can be blessed, I will see you soon, okay."

"Thank you." She said and it sounded like under the mask she might be crying, "and Deakon, please do not destroy my city." He was still laughing as he left.


	34. The Ribbon and the Ring Chapter 34

In his travels Quatre had come to expect many things of the Lady Draima, but he was not in any way prepared for her. When he had reached the Dairai, a vast sprawling collection of buildings gathered behind hard white walls he had seen the ladies in their fine kimono, layers and layers of coloured silk that whispered along the walkways with giggles and the snap of elaborate fans.

When he met her protector, the Senshi Velasca he became even more sure that the Lady Draima was like these guarded blossoms of the capital. Velasca was a mountain of a woman with dark red hair that a copper band held back from her face. She wore a black linen kimono that ended half way down her thighs and leather plate over it. There were two swords, that Quatre could see about her person. From there both Danev and Quatre were led into a small sitting room, arrayed in the southern style with chairs, where the Princess Ekeade, the Lady Draima's guardian, waited for them.

Ekeade wore a long silver gown, corseted tight about her waist, and her hair was the colour of fog. When she spoke it was a whispery quality and with short carefully chosen sentences. Quatre was too awed to really listen.

She didn't move from the screen she stood by, watching inanimate storks in flight as she spoke to Danev in those crisp clear clouds of words. Then she turned and appraised Quatre, "golden" she said to herself, "like desert sands," and then she laughed. There was no reason he could see for her laughter. "Go in, she is expecting you."

The Lady Draima knelt in front of a porcelain figurine which stood on an ebonised pedestal with a veil over her hair, when she heard him enter she turned and appraised him, "Danev was right," she said and like her sister her voice was ghostly. It was only later that Quatre realised she hadn't opened her mouth under the heavy lace veil. "Headaches?" she asked, "voices that aren't there?" He nodded dumbstruck and under the veil she smiled, "and I thought I was the only one," she lifted her hand from under the veil to shake his, "well met, Quatre of the Sands, to Dramathen, and well come from one Draimae to another."

"Your sister," Quatre stammered, "she said that,"

"You looked like the desert," Draima said and he could hear the smile in her voice, "I know, I told her that you would, but my prophecies no longer terrorise my sister, they amuse her."

"Prophecy?" he was speechless beyond that.

"Of course," she said, pulling the veil up to show him her face and her wicked smile, "what is the point of being a witch if one can not read one's enemies minds and see the future. Why it almost makes the inability to sleep worthwhile?" She looped her arm in its silk sleeve through his arm, covered in travel dirt, "come," she said, "this is my place, and you are welcome here." Her eyes were bird bright but every now and again a film of something black and oily slipped across the grey irises and when she was incensed he was to learn that they flashed with blue lightning. Her features were thin and delicate like she had been crafted by some ancient Greek sculptor asked to create beauty in miniature, because she stood only as tall as his shoulder. She wore her hair, long and black, free down her back and the only jewellery she wore was a ring worn on a golden ribbon around her neck.

Quatre was welcomed into the daily running of Draima's small manor with the same gusto with which he had been welcomed into Emithi's but without the restraint that they had shown him. Within hours he had become the Lady Draima's steadfast companion. She laughed with him and gathered him into her quarters when the night fell on the picturesque city castle. The two of them would laugh the night away and Quatre found that she was right that he did not need to sleep, nor did he truly crave it. Yet they never left her enclave.

She sat at the large carved table upon which she had her supper, her enclave was laid out more like Emithi's palace than the palaces in the Samurai disks that Heero sometimes watched and both she and her sister, the elusive Ekeade, wore Aatorian fashion. Sometimes when she thought he wasn't looking Draima played with the tooled ring she wore about her throat. She ate her supper carelessly with a knife and spoon, like an Aatorian lady but she wore her hair like a Darin lady. She drank wine with the same passion as Tobin, but unlike him, she never seemed to get drunk.

Tobin and Josian both adored her and treated her like a little sister, Danev was more wary, but nonetheless shared long private, almost whispered conversations with Ekeade and Velasca, sometimes noting things down in the notebook he carried with him everywhere. His red jacket seemed to mark him out here more than most.

The rooks brought them mail most days, sometimes from Trowa in the south, caught in Emithi's intrigues, sometimes from the Cadacus informing them how they reached such and such a place in their journey to Meirin, sometimes with a sketch done by Jored, which was more often than not stick figures with arrows.

At one point a courier brought them a portrait of Jored and Deakon that Bunny had done for Draima, it caused her to lock herself away in her room for a whole day.

Quatre found he was no longer troubled by his headaches, although sometimes, as he lay in his wide bed with Tobin, who seemed content to just lie next to him and breathe him in, for what he called the undisturbed sleep that a draima just gave off. Tobin offered too, a sort of haven, for his mind was empty.

He could see what Danev was thinking, he could pick apart and manipulate the thoughts without the drugs to cloud his perceptions. He could feel Ekeade's overwhelming grief for her husband, Yoshikatsu, dead these fifteen years. He could see the walls that Draima erected to keep him out. Josian kept his surface thoughts bland in the presence of two draimae, but was open that he did so. Sometimes when he practised with Draima they would pick up thoughts that would cause them both to laugh as some Senshi swore his undying love to some girl.

"Talk to me, Quatre." Draima said slamming down her cup, "tell me of Dathyl of the Jetties, tell me of the ruined splendour of Halcyon, and tell me of the ships that dash themselves against the shore." The way she waved her cup about , spilling wine over the table, Quatre would have said she was drunk if he hadn't known better, that she could not get drunk. "Tell me of this place, this Ellthree, where you were born, talk to me."

She poured more of the pear wine into the cup and drank deeply, throwing herself back into the chair and slumping down. Quatre didn't know what had upset her so. "I was born," Quatre said, almost lecturing, "the youngest of thirty children, I have twenty nine older sisters," he smiled to himself, "and I daren't introduce Tobin to them because he'd be like a fox in a henhouse." He made the joke to please her and was sad that it failed.

"Are they all golden and peachy like you?" Tobin asked with a leer.

"I favour my mother," Quatre told him, filling his own cup, like Draima he never got drunk. "Of course some of them favour my father, and sometimes, I think Trowa will grow up into him, although of course," he leaned forward a little, "his feet aren't that big."

Tobin snorted out a laugh as Josian rolled his eyes.

"I only see Trowa through your eyes," Draima said, "and what I see I find," her smirk was lascivious, "intriguing, but show me Dathyl. Show me this city armies crush themselves against. Show me the Okiya where empresses drank poison and courtesans threw themselves from the balcony."

"Are you alright?" Josian asked.

"Me?" Draima said waving about the cup, "I'm the Lady Draima, why would I not be fine. I cannot drink to lose myself. I cannot sleep away a bad mood or ill temper. I hear the whispers on the wind of what the people of this place really think of me. Why would I not be alright, Sir Josian. Why shouldn't I just lash out with my temper and destroy those who call me the Majou-whore?"

Josian lowered his eyes but it was Ekeade who spoke up, she had sat silent in the corner, so quietly that Quatre had to strain to hear her. "Petty minded fools, I should have Velasca take each of them for gentling, they do not know, my little one, what it is we suffer with our privileges and our duties. What use is mortality, child, if one is so close minded to the possibility that it might be an illusion?"

Draima smiled, almost despite herself, a line of blue fire darting across her eyes. Quatre wondered for a moment, if his eyes would take on that power. "Perhaps," she said and leant forward in a gesture that suggested she might have a much larger bosom than she did, or that her dress wasn't quite so modestly cut, "I shall have my darlings destroy them, tell me, Quatre, have you seen an execution? There is the greatest thrill in being in a mind that is dying, it is as close as we can come to intoxication."

"And that," Tobin said darkly, "is why the draimae can't kill with their power?"

"But we can gather armies." Draima replied, "like the Garvem, weren't they gathered to serve the Draima Achren? And what powers we could wreak like the spider."

Josian coughed, it was a deliberate noise. "Yes, you could, you could be the next spider? You could thwart the Seraphim at every turn like she did? Or you could be the start of the next series of Draima wars with all that that entailed. You remember what your ancestors do, don't you, Draima, tell me, then, princess, of the draima wars."

Draima put down her cup and left the room without talking.

"She's young yet," Danev said, "and the weight of the world really does rest upon her shoulders."

"It is more complicated than that." Ekeade said, "she is two people and they don't always reconcile with each other. One on side she is the Lady Draima with all the power that entails and the love of the boy Deakon," Quatre bit his lip at that, "and he sends her such letters of love." Ekeade almost smiled but restrained herself, "but that can never be for she is also the Imperial Princess Celestial Star-Sapphire who was married to Prince Jored to end a war, and who also sends letters to melt the heart, and each part of her loves the other. One dare not see what will happen when each learns of the other's suit."

"They are lovers, you know." Josian said, "Jored and Deakon."

"I know." Ekeade said, clearing away her plate, "and so does Draima, but it doesn't make it easier. She is still fourteen years old, with the weight of centuries and the madness of thousands of years of draima warfare. I just hope that by the time she reaches majority she has come to terms with what and who she is."

Quatre thought again of the ring that Draima wore about her throat on its golden ribbon and for the first time, noticed just how like Duo's that it was.

Meirin was a towering white spire against a black mountain pocked with open graves. In the five days since they had left Jimpachi the weather had turned brittle cold and as they crossed the long bridge over the Soulsease river crashing through the gorge Duo was not surprised to see the first hints of snow. Since the last time he had been to Meirin almost nothing had changed except for a set of swings that he could just see peeking around the edge of one of the small granite houses. There were fires burning in several of the houses.

Takeo came forward, his hood down around his neck and he looked delighted. "Cadacus," he said as he helped him from the horse, "you leave us for a year and bring us not one lord, but two," He turned to Deakon before extending his hand, "well returned to Meirin, my lord, we have missed you." He looked at Jored, "the consort of my lord is also welcome." As always, Duo noticed, Takeo didn't miss a trick. He practically flung himself out of the carriage and danced about, stretching his muscles and just appreciating the calming air of Meirin. Of all the places that he had been no where felt as much like home to him as this tower at this mountain. "Lord Duo," Takeo said, beaming as much as he was able, "welcome back, I trust Lord Heero is with you." Fenrir slunk out of the carriage with Heero just behind him. "Baths have been prepared for you all, Lord Devlin," Devlin didn't get a chance to ask how Takeo knew these things, before he was ushered with the rest of them, "welcome home." And Duo knew it was true, that this place was home.

The bath was a luxury of hot water and weightlessness. The baths in Jimpachi had involved oils and steam and the scraping away of sweat this, Heero knew, was a proper bath, hot water and soap and all the time in the world.

He wasn't really surprised when Duo came in, with a fur lined robe about himself, and a tray of hot wine in one hand. He put the tray down on the stool beside the bath and undid the robe letting it slip down his back to pool on the floor. Underneath it he was naked. "shift up," he said pushing Heero back into the bath, "I'm conserving water." His smile was impish as he stepped into the water. Unsure what else to do, Heero moved back pulling his legs out of the way. "There's barely room, Ro," Duo said, arranging his limbs into the small space like a contortionist, so that he was facing him, their legs either side of each other. "But I like it," his grin looked like he might swallow Heero whole, "it's cosy."

Heero laughed, he wasn't sure why, but it made perfect sense to be squeezed into a bath with Duo in the shadow of a mountain at the end of the world where the bodies of kings were carried to be buried. So when Duo leant forward in a puff of rose scented steam to pour the wine it was only natural that their noses bumped together, and only natural that the wine was forgotten in favour of kissing.

Duo's tongue was hot and slippery and his hands like brands on the side of Heero's face, pulling him closer, occasionally letting him slip back to lick at his lips.

"Duo," Heero said finally pulling back, "are you seducing me?"

"yes," Duo replied calmly.

"Then that is fine then."

Duo laughed and Heero wanted to laugh with the joy of it, to laugh for the sake of laughing, to laugh because he was happy. "I went to Jored and got ," he stopped looking for the word, "an education, I said to myself that if it hadn't happened on it's own by the time we reached Meirin it wasn't going to happen on it's own." He kissed Heero, "and I want it to happen."

"I am still nervous." Heero said, "but I also want it to happen."

Duo's smile was dazzling, like a supernova, "then one of us has to make the first step, and this is it, but you're right, there's no room in this bath, will you," Duo blushed red under his bangs, "I mean, will you." He stopped again. "God damnit Ro, do you want to have sex or not."

"No," Heero said with his own look of mischief, "I want to make love."

"Six of one," Duo said, "half a dozen of the other," he lifted the bottle as he stood up, "now there is a wide bed and a fire in there that just has our names on it. Come on, lover," and he offered his other hand to Heero and Heero took it with a grin as dangerous as Duo.

The nature of his work for Emithi had come to mean that Trowa saw Wufei every day, whether or not he wanted to. She was delighted with his inventions and had taken it upon herself to patronise him, shouldering out other nobles who might have been better for him. He had cut out plates of her most used dockets and was printing them by the ten, meaning that she now had a scribe with little to do, so she put him to work for Wufei.

His latest endeavour, which Emithi endorsed, was a lighthouse on the spar beside the jetties after two ships had beached in the winter storms. It meant that Trowa was darting back and forth between the two palaces enough that he had learned all the workmen's names.

Calydon came and went like the wind, and he even got used to it. When she was there she dominated Trowa, she reached inside him and forced him to feel and in doing so introduced him to things he had never dreamed. Sometimes he wondered if she was an angel, not because of her kindness, but because of her flawed beauty, because of her cruelty, and because of her bloodlust.

When she saw Aia, poor plain Aia, she laughed and laughed and laughed for Trowa kept nothing from her, even Aia's devotion. Trowa never felt sorry for the Shiko-me, even when she did silly little kind things for him, like slipping lavender and rose water into his stockings, because Calydon adored him. When he told her of his night with Quatre Calydon had lamented only that she hadn't been there to see. They never spoke of love, because between them there was nothing like that.

Halcyon was a city in it's own right, dedicated to the crown prince, with an army of workmen doing their best to restore it because the King had decided that perhaps his second son, his favourite, should live there and the years of neglect should be restored. It meant whenever Trowa went to visit Wufei and Cameron, who was Emithi's younger brother it had turned out, he often passed as many men carrying rugs and tapestries as bricks and mortar.

He nodded at a few of them, questioned some others about their families, made a mental note that one's wife was about to give birth, he was one of Emithi's men so a suitable gift would have to be arranged, before he climbed the steps leading to the outside door of the library.

Wufei had three students from the university to do his and Sir Cameron's grunt work. It would not surprise Trowa to find that he didn't know their names at all. The only time Trowa had seen him actually speak to one of them directly it had involved sign language, arm waving and name calling.

Wufei leant over a desk with all manner of drawing tools as he worked out the exact best measurements to place his lighthouse. Cameron had one of the students, a girl, writing down the titles of books as he crated them, moving them into another room, clearing out the library for the workmen.

Trowa sat down beside the table, lifting one of the charcoal sticks and twirling it between his fingers. "Emithi wants to see you at supper tonight, she's worried you're not getting enough sleep and is starting to think you're living on the pastries from town."

"Actually," Cameron said over Wufei's head, "Mae has started giving him other foods, so far she's given him a whole fish and some fruit."

"So Chang," Trowa said with a leer, "you've gone and got yourself a girl?" Wufei muttered something under his breath before moving away from his drawing board.

"If that is all the Onna wants then you can tell her that I'm busy." Wufei opened a book to show Trowa that this was everything and he should leave now if he wasn't going to help.

"She won't listen, she'll expect you at six so you can be respectable," he smirked as he stood up, unwinding himself from the chair and snatching an apple off Wufei's desk as he did so, "she has a few other lords coming and wants to show you off, you are her puppet genius you know."

"Onna." Wufei snarled under his breath, "you can tell her I will be there but it is under protest and that I could get more work done here." He looked Trowa clear in the eye, "and don't you dare tell her about Mae, she is just a friend and I will never hear the end of it otherwise."

Trowa shrugged knowing full well he would tell Emithi but she wouldn't tease him about it unless he was amenable to being teased like that. Emithi had her own plans regarding Wufei and his brilliance was only one of them.

Trowa stood to the left of his lady as she held court at the head of her table. She wore a dazzling gown of dark red velvet and around her neck she wore three rings on separate ribbons, and hanging from the mount in her forehead was an elaborate chain of garnets. She had painted her mouth thickly, sitting at her table with Trowa behind her telling her the day's gossip from all the palaces that he attended. Trowa knew within a week of entering her service that he had become her most trusted servant, but he knew it whilst also knowing he had no reason to betray her. He hadn't infiltrated her stronghold to bring it down from inside, he had accepted her kindness and in his own way he loved her. He wondered if this was like having a mother, even if Emithi was a wicked seductress who half of Aatoria suspected had no heart.

Trowa adored her in the same way he adored Calydon, as something beautiful and dangerous that allowed itself to be adored.

Trowa stood at her shoulder, making sure her wine was poured as he did what all dutiful pages should do, he listened to the conversation of the evening, to report back to his lady what he heard.

The topic of the table was war.

Trowa had known, with a sort of detachment, that war was coming. Everyone in Dathyl had known it. The King favoured his second son and believed he should be on the throne. The Seraphim was made of Second sons, born to privilege and yet denied titles. The Garvem were common men sworn to serve the true king. It was a powder keg.

The conversation revealed nothing new.

"I'm sorry," a tall blonde man said entering late. He wore a long grey coat and white satin stockings, "my apologies for my late coming, Lady Emithi, as emissary of the Seraphim, it is unforgivable that I can't even appear for supper without being late." A few of the ladies around the table tittered at his joke as he was seated. He was an attractive man, too perfect for Trowa's taste, tall and sculpted with ice white eyes and long blonde hair that hung to his waist.

"It is no slight," Emithi said, "come to my table, and enjoy yourself," she offered the newcomer a seductive smile, "all are welcome here tonight, even the Seraphim Lord?" She left the name open, suggesting he introduce himself.

"Milliardo," he said answering her leer with one of his own, "Milliardo Peacecraft."

To be concluded in _The Copper Eagle_


End file.
